Funding aims to boost pupils' career prospects

Seven schools in Warwick district have received a share of £112,000 of funding to help improve the employability skills of pupils.
Julie Gardner, head of careers education at Campion School, with a pupil. NNL-160720-092201001Julie Gardner, head of careers education at Campion School, with a pupil. NNL-160720-092201001
Julie Gardner, head of careers education at Campion School, with a pupil. NNL-160720-092201001

This latest round of funding comes from Warwickshire County Council’s Skills for Employment programme which, since February 2015, has awarded up to £3,000 to 34 schools and four colleges across the county to stimulate economic growth via schools, skills and employment.

The grants have already been used by schools to fund new software to help pupils research career prospects, activities relating to job search, cv and job application techniques and interview skills and to help them gain work experience placements.

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Among the schools in Warwick district to have benefitted is Campion School in Leamington. Julie Gardner, head of careers education at the school, said: “This funding is crucial to help our students develop their own career pathways and to assist us to work in partnership with local businesses.

“The grant has helped us provide work placements for more than 90 per cent of our year 10 students. Extended work placements have also been provided for children identified as being at risk of exclusion, school refusing or becoming NEETs (not in education, employment, or training).

“We’ve also been able to start to enroll all of our pupils in the first rate careers website U-Explore, which is designed to help them research and plan for their futures, whichever route they choose.”

Cllr Izzi Seccombe, county council leader and board member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We are delighted with the response from schools and colleges to this latest opportunity for additional funds. Ensuring our young people are equipped to succeed in the workplace is one of our key priorities.

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“The grants are part of the county council’s £2.4m Skills for Employment programme. So far, since February 2015, £304,000 of this type of grant has been awarded to schools and colleges for exciting and innovative projects designed to develop employability skills among young people and forge new links between education and businesses.”