In July 2018 the Secretary of State for Education, announced the names of 20 new Careers Hubs across England and East Sussex has been successful in its bid to become one of those Career Hubs.
Careers Hub
Each Careers Hub will consist of up to 40 local schools and colleges working together with universities, training providers, employers and career professionals to improve careers education for young people in the region.
As part of the Careers Strategy, published in December 2017, the government tasked The Careers & Enterprise Company to establish the Careers Hubs across the country, allocating £5 million over a two-year period to support them.
Schools and colleges working with careers hubs
From September, 710 schools and colleges will work within a Hub and there will be at least one Hub in every region of England outside of London. This means that one in five secondary schools and colleges in England will be part of a Careers Hub.
The Hubs are based on a successful model, piloted in the North East. The North East Local Enterprise Partnership piloted the Careers Hub model during 2015-17. During the pilot, the majority of schools in the area managed to meet most of the ‘Gatsby Benchmark’ standards for excellent careers guidance.
All Careers Hubs will have access to support and funding that will include a ‘Hub Lead’ to coordinate activity and build networks.
In East Sussex
The Careers Hub will use £200,000 of funding over two years to expand on the work that East Sussex County Council and Skills East Sussex are doing with secondary schools, special schools and colleges through the Enterprise Adviser network.
This work will help to support improvements in careers provision, and in particular focus on supporting schools and colleges to meet the Gatsby Benchmarks of good careers guidance, and improve outcomes for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Cllr Bob Standley, the county council’s lead member for education and ISEND said: “Giving young people the best possible advice and support to help them embark on a career path that is right for them is incredibly important.
“Being named a Careers Hub gives us the opportunity to strengthen our links between schools, colleges, training providers and businesses within East Sussex, and give students the chance to get involved in initiatives and find out more about the world of work.”
The Hub will have access to a central Hub Fund to support activities and interventions to improve student access to employers and to promote work readiness, and expand on projects such as:
- Industry Champions – increasing the network from local businesses who have committed to supporting careers and enterprise activities in schools and colleges by taking part in careers fairs, giving talks, running workshops, providing work experience and mentoring
- Open Doors – an initiative encouraging businesses to open their doors to allow students to visit and learn more about the world of work
- Apprenticeship roadshows – events giving young people and their parents and carers a chance to talk to prospective employers and apprenticeship training providers
- Supporting young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to access Supported Internships and Apprenticeships.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds said: “We want to build a country that works for everyone, with the same opportunities available to all, whatever their background or circumstance. The ability to make informed choices about your future is key to being able to take up opportunities and discover a fulfilling career.
“We are improving education for every child with reformed GCSEs and A levels, better-quality apprenticeships and the introduction of T Levels. These changes will make sure that young people have the knowledge and skills they need to make the most of their potential.
“The Careers Hubs announced today will support young people with the right advice to help them make decisions about their future by building better links with employers and providing practical guidance and support to improve the provision of careers advice in schools.”