Help needed! Could you support students with additional needs to make links with the world of work?

Marches Careers Hub would like to hear from local employers, employees or entrepreneurs who could volunteer a little time to support a local SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) school or college.

We would like to reach out to those exceptional individuals or businesses who have empathy and are keen to support young people facing barriers as they navigate their way through education towards adulthood.

Our team of Careers Enterprise Coordinators support schools and colleges to improve their careers provision and a significant strand of that work is connecting them to local businesses.

Working with our brilliant colleagues who educate students with special educational needs and disabilities, we know that our SEND schools and colleges sometimes find these business connections particularly difficult to make.

This is a fantastic opportunity for local employers to access the untapped potential within these young people, which will support to reduce skills shortages and recruitment issues, whilst diversifying the workforce and evidencing a real commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.

The types of support that we regularly facilitate are very varied. Examples of ways that businesses might engage with schools include:

• putting on sector insight days
• hosting a workplace visit
• delivering an inspirational talk
• mentoring a small group developing their employability skills
• attending a careers fair, a careers speed-networking event or a mock-interview day.

A volunteer might offer an hour or two on an occasional basis.

A business could form a partnership with a school over a longer period.

An individual might want to become a volunteer Enterprise Adviser which would involve a little more commitment.

There are so many ways you could help, and every connection makes a difference. To chat with us about volunteering in schools please contact sharon.ruff@shropshire.gov.uk. To learn more about our work please visit Marches Careers hub