£4 million cash injection for careers and enterprise provision across England

•       The Careers & Enterprise Company to invest millions of pounds to help thousands of young people into work

•       £1 million of this fund to be allocated specifically to  “Opportunity Areas” of West Somerset, Norwich, Blackpool, Scarborough, Oldham and Derby, as announced by Secretary of State for Education.

 The Careers & Enterprise Company today (04/09/2016) set out how it will allocate the next round of its multi-million pound government-funded investment programme to boost social mobility and help thousands of young people into the world of work.

The Company, set up last year to transform careers and enterprise provision in schools and colleges across England, will invest £4million to support those pupils in secondary schools and colleges most in need.

This includes targeting £1million on six government identified “Opportunity Areas” – West Somerset, Norwich, Blackpool, Scarborough, Oldham and Derby – as announced by the Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening today. The Social Mobility Commission has highlighted that these areas have particular entrenched barriers that make it harder for young people to progress.

The £1 million will be invested in local programmes that can demonstrate their effectiveness in working with young people in greatest need of support, including those with special educational needs and disabilities and pupils at risk of being NEET (not in education, employment or training).

As a result, it is our ambition that every pupil in a secondary school and college in these Opportunity Areas will receive four encounters with employers, in line with evidence that this significantly increases rates of employment and earnings.

The remaining £3million will be invested in career and enterprise programmes in other parts of the country which have had a proven positive impact on supporting young people into work, such as work experience, workplace visits, careers talks and volunteering.

The Company also confirmed today that it will play a critical role in coordinating increased engagement between businesses and schools and colleges through its Enterprise Adviser network. It will work with business organisations such as the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), who have today committed to encouraging and supporting their members to do even more with schools and colleges to support social mobility.

Claudia Harris, Chief Executive of The Careers & Enterprise Company, said: “We are determined to improve social mobility and ensure that young people get the right support to transition into the world of work.

“That’s why we are delighted to announce that we will be investing £4million into improving careers and enterprise provision across England – this includes £1million for the six “Opportunity Areas” as identified by the government.

“This money will scale up many of the existing, proven careers and enterprise programmes and ensure that young people get multiple opportunities to learn from employers through the course of their education.

“We warmly welcome the support from the CBI and FSB many of whose members work directly with schools, colleges and young people to provide this vital insight and inspiration.”

The Company announced the winners of the first round of funding in March 2016. Organisations will be able to apply for the second round of funding later this year.

Ends

Notes to editors

The Careers & Enterprise Company is an employer-led organisation set up to inspire and prepare young people for the fast-changing world of work.

The Company’s role is to join the dots between schools, colleges, employers and providers of careers and enterprise activities,  supporting programmes that work, filling gaps in provision and ensuring coverage across the country. It follows four principles to do this:

1. Test, learn and adapt

2. Build on what works

3. Work nationally, tailor locally

4. Enable and convene the best programmes

In its first year, The Company set up the Enterprise Adviser network to help bridge the gap between education and employment. In year one, 75 full-time Enterprise Coordinators have been employed and more than 1,000 business volunteer Enterprise Advisers and over 1,000 schools and colleges have signed up.

In March 2016, The Careers & Enterprise Company announced the beneficiaries of its first Investment Fund. This supported 33 organisations, reaching nearly 250,000 young people, especially in ‘Cold Spot’ areas of greatest need.  The government-funded investment of £5 million secured matched funding meaning, in total, £9.5 million was unlocked.

The Company is led by chief executive Claudia Harris. Its chair is Christine Hodgson, chair of Capgemini and its board includes: Lord David Young, former Enterprise Adviser to the Prime Minister, Steve Holliday, former Chief Executive of National Grid plc, Brian Lightman, former General Secretary of ASCL and Dame Julia Cleverdon, Vice President of Business in the Community and Special Adviser to The Prince’s Trust.