The Worcestershire Business Class Cluster hosted an event to support a targeted group of 62 young people that was held on 19 November 2015 at our head office in Foley Grove, Kidderminster. The event was targeted at young people who are either about to make their subject choices in Years 8/9 or are looking for their next steps after Year 11.
Business Class is a government-endorsed programme through BITC; Business in The Community which links businesses and local schools together in order to positively impact on the lives of young people.
The aim of the event was to address the gap between employer/businesses and the skills and aspirations of the young people. The 4 businesses within the cluster are:
• The Community Housing Group (TCHG)
• Thomas Vale
• Elior UK
• ADI Group
The 4 secondary schools – Baxter College, North Bromsgrove, Trinity High and Arrow Vale Academy identified 16 pupils from varying year groups 8-11, who would benefit from the event. Each business provided 4 interactive and engaging workshops, ranging from sushi making to speed dating with apprentices from the Group.
The aim was to open the eyes of the young people to the world of work and the possibilities that it can bring, providing:
• An insight into the world of work
• An opportunity to get involved in industry related tasks to help them understand how relevant their chosen subjects are in the real world
• The opportunity to speak to ‘real’ business people about real careers
• An insight into the variety of roles in a business
Marina Banner, Executive Director of Vestia Community Trust and TCHG Corporate Services, commented: “It was great to see pupils from 4 different schools, varying in age from 13-16 engaging and interacting so enthusiastically with the business world and getting so much from the experience”.
Media students from the schools involved filmed the event and are developing a promotional video to promote the benefits of Business Class and to hopefully attract more businesses and schools to the partnership. For more information on these events, please contact Palvinder Dulai, Education Manager from BITC, on 01902 717491 or 07803 746618.
