Sharing innovative careers advice

The London Enterprise Adviser Network (LEAN) joined together with school staff, business volunteers and leading employers to share best practice on providing world-class careers guidance.

Twenty one representatives from schools and eight employers participated in our event, hosted by BNP Paribas.

LEAN, is being delivered in Central, West and South London sub regions by Reed in Partnership on behalf of the Careers & Enterprise Company and Team London, GLA. The programme helps young people build the skills and experiences they need to lead successful futures.

The network is made up of senior business volunteers (Enterprise Advisers) and school or college Careers Leaders. LEAN connects education directly with employment to create a real world careers experience for young people living in London.

Camilla Al-Hariri a Careers Leader at King Solomon Academy told the audience:

“I was lucky to get two LEAN Enterprise Advisers at my school and they’ve helped me develop my programme. We wanted there to be consistent experiences for all of our students.”

She advised other Careers Leaders attending:

“Be ambitious with your goals and be relevant to students.”

Employers supporting LEAN play a vital role in delivering this world-class careers advice. Kimberley McGinty, Skills and Employment Advisor at VGC Group, an engineering organisation explained the benefits of being involved. She said:

“We have a huge skills shortage in engineering and need to demystify the profession. It’s important for us to have continuous engagement with schools, so that I can put into place a careers programme. LEAN makes this possible. Our programme has gone from strength to strength. I’ve also learnt so much from the students - They give you great honest feedback!”

Emma Francis, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager from Zurich added:

“We want to engage with students who might be the employees of the future. Relatable role models are really important and the activity provided through enterprise advisor networks is the gold standard of careers advice.”

Sunny Patel, Senior Enterprise Co-ordinator for LEAN’s Central sub region said:

“Evidence shows that receiving four or more encounters with employers whilst at school, results in young people being 86% less likely to become disengaged from employment, education or training. Participating in the London Enterprise Advisor Network is free to all mainstream secondary schools, Pupil Referral Units and Further Education colleges. The programme enables young people living in London to build the real world skills that the modern day workforce needs.”

Are you an Employer looking to develop your skills pipeline? Could you give your time to be an Enterprise Adviser? Contact the LEAN team: [email protected]

We’d like to invite you to give an hour and make a difference to the future career choices that a young person makes: careersandenterprise.co.uk/give-an-hour

Reed in Partnership are delivering the London Enterprise Advisor Network in Central, West and South London sub regions on behalf of the Careers & Enterprise Company and Team London, GLA.