Coventry businesses collaborate to help the city’s schools

9 November, 2010

Leading businesses in Coventry have come together to work with the city’s low-attaining schools in a united effort to raise pupil aspiration through the private sector.

The engagement programme will see high-profile businesses, led by Wates Construction, work with partner schools for the next three years on a one-to-one basis to improve the employment prospects of pupils and deliver school improvements.

Regular intervention activity will include motivational talks, pupil mentoring, course delivery, site visits, work experience and the facilitation of school building improvements.

‘Coventry Business Class’ is a Business in the Community initiative that has thus far brought together Wates Construction, Jaguar Land Rover, Yorkshire Bank, University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire, Fusion and West Mercia Housing Group.

Businesses are matched with schools in accordance with a particular business’s area of expertise and a school’s specific needs. As well as making a financial commitment, each business is required to devote substantial time to their designated school on an ongoing basis for the next three years.

Representatives from the businesses gathered at Ernesford Grange Community School, with whom Wates Construction has already been working for the past 12 months. The meeting was a sharing of best practice between those involved in the programme and enabled the school and its pupils to share their experiences so far and demonstrate how it has benefited them.

The event also formed part of Business in the Community’s national Visit Our Schools and Colleges Week (www.visitourschools.org). The week, organised by the Education and Employer Taskforce, aims to promote effective engagement in schools by businesses.

Paul Drechsler, Chair and Chief Executive of the Wates Group commented: “The future of this region and the country as a whole lies with its young people and it is vital they continue to receive the support they need to leave school as skilled and employable individuals.

“We can’t expect them to do that on their own. It is time for industry to step up and play its part in providing guidance and sector-specific expertise directly to schools and their pupils in order to raise skills levels and improve employability post-education. In return, we as businesses are provided with a highly skilled future workforce and the opportunity to make a tangible difference to the communities in which we work. I am delighted with the response and enagagement in business partnering with schools and I am confident that we will continue to see increasing interest and support by senior business leaders across the country.”

Helen Noble, Deputy Head at Ernesford Grange Community School added: “The support we have received from Wates so far has been overwhelming and it has already made a huge difference. It has been wonderful to see the impression the Wates team has made on the pupils; their presence in the school is helping to boost confidence and motivation as well as breeding a new generation of builders and engineers! We have also benefited from improvments to our school building thanks to Wates’ donation of time and resources – a saving grace after our plans for a new school were scrapped as part of the ongoing government cutbacks.”

Julian Chartres, Headteacher at Ernesford, added: “I am fully committed to the programme with Wates which I hope will break down some of the myths that exist around what schools and businesses expect from young people and from each other, as well as raising young people’s awareness and aspriations.”

David Darlaston, Regional Director of Business in the Community in the West Midlands, said: “Business Class is a step change to the relationship between schools and business; a long-term commitment to develop a two-way working relationship to benefit the school, its pupils and the partnered business.

The Coventry Business Class cluster led by Wates, complements the clusters already established in the Black Country and Birmingham as more businesses join the initiative to increase aspirations of our young people and build their business in our communities.”

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Categories: national delivery, primary schools, people, events, midlands

Tags: BiTC, Coventry, Paul Drechsler, Schools