Education has long been an area of strategic community investment for many leading companies and flicking through the CSR reports of the FTSE 100 shows that most firms engage in one way or another with the education agenda. Indeed, this is borne out by our latest London Benchmarking Group (www.lbg-online.net/) data, which shows that of every £1 spent by our members on voluntary community investment last year, 26p went to initiatives aimed at education and young people.
Perhaps this explains the impressive turn out from the private sector on the Education and Employers’ Taskforce, launched in October. Skills shortages and access to the professions have been in the headlines in recent months too, providing further impetus for business to get involved with schools and colleges. The Taskforce offers a platform to work directly with a range of other stakeholders: from children’s charities and governors’ bodies to trade unions and academics, all are represented on the Taskforce’s partnership board and working groups.
Although the group’s overall ambition is apparent (“every school should in time benefit from an effective partnership with employers”), the milestones and timelines to making this happen are as yet unclear. Perhaps more clarity will come in due course, and indeed a key function for the research working group is to investigate the current level of employer-education engagement. Once a clearer picture of present activity has been established, it may be easier to agree a firmer set of deliverables to justify the £150 million Government investment.
Another key output from the group will be to standardise and ease the processes for businesses to engage with schools, thereby ending the ad hoc approach seen at present. In the meantime, for those companies yet to get involved with the education sector, or for those wanting to look afresh at methods of engagement, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has published a short but informative guide, “Building Stronger Partnership”, on working with school and colleges. It’s worth a read for some ideas on ways to engage local schools and colleges.