Employer Standards: Shaping your future workforce
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Employer Standards helps businesses of all shapes and sizes to close their skills gaps.
Businesses today are facing challenges when it comes to recruiting people with the skills they need:
- How do I build a strong talent pipeline?
- How do I increase diversity in my workforce?
- How do I best deliver against our ESG or social value commitments?
Effective engagement with the education sector through our Employer Standards will help you open new pathways and opportunities in your sector for young people.
Join over 750 employers who have already used our framework to identify and plan your work with schools, special schools, and colleges, and align this with your business objectives.
Use the self-assessment tool
See how your outreach compares to the Standards and your peers.
View the Employer Standards Framework
Take a closer look at the ways you can inspire, develop and collaborate with young people.
DownloadAttend our next Employer Standards event
Already engaging with schools and colleges but looking to improve your careers education outreach?Ìý
Join our webinar, on 10 September 2024, to gain insight into the Employer Standards framework and tool.
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- Give young people a taste and feel of the working world.Ìý
- Make experiences of work meaningful - ensuring young people meet a range of people, interact and receive feedback on a piece of work.
- Be clear and transparent - setting clear aims and learning outcomes.
- Prepare in advance - tailoring experiences to individual needs.Ìý
- Involve a wide range of young people.Ìý
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- IdentifyÌýyoung people that need the most support.Ìý
- Break down barriers - by engaging under-represented groups.Ìý
- Be relatable to build trust: involving employeesÌýwho young people can easily identify with.Ìý
- Actively challenge stereotypes and preconceptions.Ìý
- Be adaptive and accommodating - shape your approach so allÌýfeel welcome and involved.
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- Measure impact and adapt - to ensureÌýyour activities are having the intended impact and adapt where needed.Ìý
- Ensure person-centred evaluation - ensure the feedback and perspectives of young people, teachers and schools are part of your evaluation.Ìý
- Listen to others - welcome and action feedback from your employees involved in the programmes.Ìý
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- Improve the skills of young people - Supporting them to develop essential skills.Ìý
- Embed essential skills in your career outreach - showing they'reÌýhow they’re applied in every day working life.Ìý
- Explain the relevance and importance of essential skills - Support young people, teachers and Â鶹¹ú²ú Leaders in understanding why essential skills are invaluable in the workplace.Ìý
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- Improve understanding & provide practice opportunities - so young people are more confident in application and selection processes like assessment centres, psychometric testing, online interviews, in person interviews.Ìý
- Support with written communications - so they become better at describing their skills and experience in CVs, application forms, LinkedIn and cover letters.Ìý
- Explain how social media presence could impact applications.Ìý
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- Showcase existing opportunities - with information about opportunities in your organisation or sector and links to the local labour market.Ìý
- Share knowledge of pathways - highlighting the subject and skills requirements to enter your organisation and sector.Ìý
- Shape opportunities – share what you know about pathways and key transition points for young people to your sector.Ìý
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- Extend your engagement - work with the same school for more than one year to strengthen partnerships and promote continuous learning.Ìý
- Repeat exposure - have multiple engagements with the same individuals and groups of young people over the course of their time in education.Ìý
- Commit long-term - invest time with the same school over the long-term.Ìý
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- Identify areas of priority - learn what a school needs most in terms of careers education support.Ìý
- Share your knowledge of job opportunities, local labour market, pathways and the future of work with teachers, Â鶹¹ú²ú Leaders, parents, carers, Â鶹¹ú²ú Hubs and activity providers. Ìý
- Relate classroom learning to the world of work - linking careers to the curriculum, developing teachers’ workplace knowledge, co-designing lesson content and supporting student projects.
- Collaborate and share best practice - Connect and cooperate with other employers.Ìý
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- Embed careers education within your business planning. Ìý
- Recognise and relay the impact on young people - becoming a community ambassador for the value of education outreach. Ìý
- Track the impact of your careers education support for young people against your business objectives.Ìý
"By going into schools, you can help shape your future workforce, so why wouldn't you do it?"Rita Patel-Miller, Mace Group