Skills Advisor James Hobson explains how our employability programme in Berkshire can help employers engage with local schools and young people, and develop the next generation of employees. 

The Berkshire Education Employer Partnership* (BEEP) creates a meaningful dialogue between employers, schools and colleges in the county. By doing so, it aims to reduce the flow of future generations of employees out of the area, caused especially because young people are drawn to career opportunities in London. It’s a fully-funded programme that nurtures talent and develops employability skills while building mutually beneficial networks between education and employment.

For local employers, BEEP is an opportunity to retain and grow the next generation of employees. And the greater the network of participating companies, the greater the impact will be.

How BEEP can help you

If you’re struggling with recruitment or future talent pipelining, BEEP is an excellent way to build awareness of your business amongst local young people.

As a Skills Advisor, I recruit employers to participate in the BEEP project. I invite any and all Berkshire business owners or employees to contact me to learn more about this fantastic programme. Adviza typically handles very focused caseloads within the BEEP project, meaning we can be extremely responsive, setting up meaningful interactions between young people and employers. If you’re struggling with recruitment or future talent pipelining, the programme is an excellent way to build awareness of your business amongst local young people, to help local educators, parents and young people understand which skills are most needed in the local economy and to create an ongoing dialogue with your business.

How you can get involved

No business is too small (nor indeed too large!) to participate in the programme. Here are some legitimate and very useful activities Berkshire employers could offer to young people locally:

• Have Zoom talks with individuals or groups of young people about what your business does, your culture, why you’re a great employer and the skills you value
• Give a young person a virtual tour of your office and talk generally about what you do, and what working life is like
• Visit school assemblies (or attend virtual ones) to talk about your company
• Present to students in a variety of contexts
• Offer work experience, from a little to a lot
• Hold “challenge” events relating to your sector
• Offer apprenticeships, T-Levels etc.

If you can do any of that, even at the smallest end of the scale, you can participate in BEEP.

What’s in it for you?

Aside from the obvious value BEEP creates for young people locally, it is a superb opportunity for companies in Berkshire to create a dialogue with local educators and communities, to address their own skills and talent shortages, build their brand locally and create a reputation as an employer of choice. It’s an opportunity to cultivate relationships with young people and mould them into the candidates you want to see.

Which young people will benefit from BEEP?

BEEP is for any young person aged 15-24, whether or not they are in education. That includes people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training) and those with special educational needs or disabilities. But a great many of the young people we work with will be high-achieving students who have set their sights on careers outside of Berkshire. The right conversation at the right time could lead to any of these young people ultimately enriching the talent pool in Berkshire.

By creating positive interactions with young people, Berkshire employers can ensure our young people understand what qualities and skills local employers are looking for today.

BEEP can offer so much. By creating positive interactions with young people, Berkshire employers can ensure our young people have a confident start in their working life and understand what qualities and skills local employers are looking for today. They can help to bridge the skills gap, develop confidence in young people and help to develop local interest in the skills employers themselves most need.

BEEP is a win-win, and it thrives on the engagement and participation of businesses within the region.

Join our virtual event to learn more

A great way to learn more about BEEP without pressure or commitment is to sign up to our virtual breakfast meeting taking place on Wednesday 9th March at 7.45am. It’s a short, online meeting where I will explain more about the programme and what you can do to help.

To learn more or express your interest, contact me at [email protected].

 

*The BEEP project is receiving circa £1.1m funding from the European Social Fund as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England. The Department for Work and Pensions is the Managing Authority for the England European Social Fund programme. Established by the European Union, the European Social Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support skills development, employment and job creation, social inclusion and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.

 

Find out more about BEEP