Local Businesses – We Need Your Expertise

At Orchard Mead Academy, we are busy growing your employees of the future.  We need your help to raise their career aspirations, develop their employability skills and learn more about the exciting industries in Leicester and Leicestershire.

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If you want to inspire our students, we are open for business! Contact Phil Longman, Careers Leader, on  0116 2413371 or via [email protected] for more information or support and we’ll be in touch directly to talk about how you can make a difference in our school.

Being part of our business support network will provide you moments of great satisfaction but striving to make a difference can also be an exciting challenge!  Having employers like you helping to inspire young minds and transform attitudes through a range of activities and opportunities is the foundation of an excellent careers programme as set out by the  Gatsby Foundation’s eight Benchmarks of good practice and the Careers and Enterprise Company.

Here at Orchard Mead Academy, we benefit from the support of a key business volunteer who works with us on a strategic level, encouraging the development of our careers programme and connecting us to the business community across the county. This role is recognised nationally as an Enterprise Adviser (EA) and they are part of the Leicester and Leicestershire Careers Hub community of support driving the connection between careers education and the business sector.

Some ways you may be able to support 

  • Become and Enterprise Advisor
  • Give an inspiring talk based on your industry or job role.
  • Help bring a subject lesson to life by linking it to your industry.
  • Be part of our discussions about pathways after school, e.g., apprenticeships.
  • Offer a work experience placement for students at your business premises.
  • Run a hands-on workshop with activities relating to your area of expertise.
  • Provide a coaching/mentoring service through a structured programme.
  • Help champion specific issues and challenge barriers in the workplace around gender stereotyping, disability, etc.
  • Be part of our mock interviews with year 11 scholars.
  • Support scholars to produce their CVs.
  • Get involved in extracurricular clubs and activities.
  • Exhibit at our annual post 16 and careers fair.

Each year we hold a post 16 and careers fair for year 11 students and their parents and guardians. This is a chance for you to advertise your business, any apprenticeship opportunities you may have or to attend as an ‘expert’ in your field, allowing students to ask you questions and find out about your work. Our post 16 Careers fair usually takes place in November each year.

What to expect

By getting involved you will not only be supporting future workforce development and helping to broaden the minds of the young people but you will also be developing new skills for your staff, forging community links and building a positive profile for your company. We will support you throughout your visit to us to ensure we maximise the use of your valuable time.

Our Careers Leader will:

  • be your main point of contact for all enquiries
  • organise pre-meets/discussions/information for activities you sing up to
  • provide you details of the local arrangements including parking, facilities and our safeguarding policy
  • conduct a short evaluation with you to ensure we are getting things right
  • with your permission, add you to our network and keep you up to date with future activities.

To help you with your engagement the Careers and Enterprise Company have produced this useful guide.