Dear supporter,

Are you looking for remote activities to engage and inspire Y11s and Y13s who may be off timetable? It's not too late for Careers Leaders and subject teachers to use the thousands of volunteers on Inspiring the Future this summer term to help students make career plans and feel prepared for the changes ahead.

We know from the new government FE White Paper on Skills for Jobs that meeting a broad range of employers is important not just for school leavers but from as young as Year 7, so why not incorporate meeting people from the world of work to add value to Year 7 transitions activities?

From engaging and informative pre-recorded resources that delve into a range of careers, to simple to organise bespoke encounters, your young people heading into transition can explore their next steps from school or at home.   

In this newsletter, you will find: 

• -Best practice employer engagement activities to support transitions  
• -How students can independently use icould to explore real-life career stories and experiences of GSCE and A Level results 
• -An invite to our facilitated Aviation virtual showcase event for Y7 to Y13
• -Details about our upcoming international conference exploring employer engagement

Easy ways to use Inspiring the Future to support transitions 

1) Host an Inspiring the Future virtual live encounter in lesson or tutor time or as part of a transitions day. Start small with just one volunteer or invite a panel of volunteers. Follow our simple guide to plan your activity and ask your employer to share: 

• -The pathway they took, the subjects that were important to them at school and the skills they have most needed in their career
• -Their experience of going through big changes and building resilience, for example settling into a new school/job 
• -What advice they would have given their 16 year-old self before starting college 

2) Access one of our pre-recorded resources featuring a range of employers in different roles and sectors which come with accompanying learning activities. Log in to your account to instantly access our NHS Career Chats resource and our Inspiring Women Career Chats resource, aimed at KS3 & KS4 students, as well as our range of KS1 and KS2 pre-recorded videos which other schools have accessed for students with SEND. 

3) Follow up your employer interactions with a plenary activity to land the learning. Students can: 

• -Share 3 things they have learnt with a peer about the careers they heard about. What most surprised them? 
• -Write a tweet to sum up the session in less than 280 characters. What hashtags -would they use?  
• -Reflect on their experiences of change so far. What can they do to prepare themselves for any challenges ahead? 

Boost the impact of your volunteer sessions with icould.com 

Did you know supporting student learning before and after Inspiring the Future sessions increases their impact? 

icould.com is a great way to sandwich employer engagement activities and can also be used as a standalone resource that students can use in school or at home independently. Free to use, the site features over 1,000 career videos that reflect the realities of life, together with labour market information, practical career guides, and the Buzz Quiz which explores links between personality and work.  

There are also many useful articles on the website, including relating to options surrounding A-Level and GCSE results to help students prepare for the summer ahead.  

Aviation themed Virtual Showcase Event

If you can't fit in planning your own activity this term, join us for our multi-school aviation virtual showcase event on Tuesday 6th July at 13:30 - 14:30. Year 7-13 students will have the opportunity to learn about a range of different jobs within aviation and put questions to our speakers. This will also include a dive into key skills, education routes, and personal journeys with the aim of broadening horizons. We’ll do all the planning, all you have to do is join.

Virtual conference on employer engagement

As a champion of employer engagement, you may like to step back and look at the evidence and changing landscape of employer engagement. On 1st and 2nd July, our charity Education and Employers is running a virtual international conference in partnership with the Edge Foundation. The conference will explore current themes in employer engagement and the need to develop in response to the changing labour market and Covid-19. 

The conference welcomes researchers, practitioners, employers, awarding organisations and policymakers, and there will be opportunities to network with fellow attendees, just like at an in-person event.

Early bird tickets are now on sale for £25.

Keep in touch

Connect with us on our social media, or via email or phone. We're keen to support you wherever we can.

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enquiries@inspiringthefuture.org 

0207 566 4880