Connecting your students to local apprenticeship providers and employers
Research suggests that 74% of students would consider taking a professional apprenticeship; however, 47% know nothing about them. The Gatsby Benchmarks call for students to be informed about all possible options, but these figures suggest that that’s not always the case. Employer-student relations are essential regardless of whether a student is going to university or not. For students who aren’t, they must know what’s out there for them. For students who are, they can gain an insight into what work might be like for them when they graduate, and what employers are out there.
This blog post will explore the benefits of employer-student relationships, how to help students find opportunities and how the Careers Calendar platform can help you out.
The benefits of employer-student relationships
Students must have relationships with employers and apprenticeship providers in the local area. Regardless of what they want to do in the future, these relationships will let them know all of their options, and will also give them a taste of what to expect when they get into the workplace, wherever that may be. Employers can become great mentors for students and can help motivate them and guide them through their studies. Building a rapport can also help students develop employability skills, such as communication, earlier on in their lives. Not only this, but students who have relationships with employers are also more likely to know what they want to do in the future.
How can you help your students find out about opportunities with apprenticeship providers and employers?
Gatsby Benchmarks 4 and 5 are about giving students experience in the workplace and encounters with employees. Gatsby recognises how important it is for students to see all of their options, and your careers programme should also recognise that. There are several ways to help students find out about opportunities.
Work experience is an excellent way for students to get an insight. However, it has to be valuable to have an impact. A student spending time at their family business will be beneficial to an extent, but if it’s not what they want to do in the future, there are better ways to spend their time. Plus, students are more likely to develop vital employability skills in a new environment. A structured work experience programme where students can choose a placement they are genuinely interested in is ideal. However, this requires relationships between businesses and schools that may take time to build.
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of students know nothing about apprenticeships
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An apprenticeship fair is also a great way to show students what is out there. The National Apprenticeship Show is a great example, and it can be recreated on a smaller, more local scale. Fairs like this allow students to move at their own pace and speak to who they want to talk to. The great thing about fairs is that they can be done online and offline. As a school, you could join forces with other schools in your area to allow all of your students to explore apprenticeships.
Careers talks are another way to inform students. Student-employer encounters in the form of careers talks or lectures reduce the chance of the student being NEET, and can also motivate them to work harder in their studies. Employers who give careers talks can help connect the dots between what they were taught at school and what they do as a job, which better informs students about possible careers paths.
How the Careers Calendar helps
The Careers Calendar is an excellent place for schools to connect with apprenticeship providers and employers. It gives employers access to students that could become a potential future talent. It also gives students an insight into what they might want to do. The platform is dedicated to connecting students with their futures and makes it easy for them to build relationships with organisations. We are 100% impartial, and there is no marketing on the platform. This means that students will see all opportunities, regardless of the marketing budget of the company.
As a platform, we recognise that there are differences between small startups who may have short-term or ad hoc opportunities, and larger businesses who have structured school leavers programmes and apprenticeships. The Careers Calendar makes student recruitment and engagement easy, and the organisation’s profiles reflect the type of business they are. This makes it easy for students to see what they offer and whether they are interested. Companies upload a profile, describe what they do and list any opportunities they have. Once their profile is live, they can begin engaging with students. They can see any events you have planned, and can also share their own. When they upgrade, businesses can access our direct messaging tool, which lets them connect with students directly. The Careers Calendar puts opportunities in front of the right people at the right time and makes it easy to connect with them.
Want to give your students access to real, impartial information? Sign up here.