CareersInc, an impartial information, education, advice and guidance (CEIAG) provider have signed-up to sponsor the newly created Careers & Enterprise Award at the Educate Awards. The new category recognises those schools, academies and colleges who are preparing young people the best they can for their future careers.
The Educate Awards, now in their 8th year, were founded by Kim O’Brien to celebrate the excellent education and support being delivered by schools in the Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester areas. Nominations are judged by a panel of judges, before the shortlist being announced prior to the event taking place.
This year sees five new award categories launched, with the Careers & Enterprise Award being one. At a time of such uncertainty for young people, quality and impartial careers advice and guidance has never been more important. A report published by NCFE warns of increased levels of unemployment in Q3 of 2020 compared to the end of 2019, with figures being around 2.88m. This spike is likely to have a knock-on effect on young people seeking Post 16 pathways, as companies contract to survive. This situation may result in fewer apprenticeship training opportunities, and more competition for each job advertised. Therefore, impartial Careers Advice and Guidance (CIAG) will be crucial for helping to advise and guide young people as to their various Post 16 pathways, ensuring that they are aware of all routes open to them, their advantages and disadvantages. This commitment to providing quality careers guidance aligns with the Government’s aspirations and guidance.
Talking of their involvement in the awards, James Madine, CEO of CareersInc said;
“We knew we wanted to get involved and give something back to our industry again this year. CareersInc sponsoring the new Careers & Enterprise Award category seemed such a great fit, as we wanted to celebrate the schools and Careers Advisers who have gone above and beyond to prepare their pupils for their best possible future. This year has been particularly challenging for Year 11s, so quality and impartial careers advice and guidance is of paramount importance. We must do everything we can to ensure that the current situation doesn’t adversely impact young people from progressing into HE/FE/vocational pathways.
“As an industry, we have a duty to support our pupils to understand that their Post 16 options are still available to them, even though traditional Open Days or exams aren’t taking place; and that their hopes and dreams are still alive, even if things look and feel different to them right now.”
This commitment and spirit is just what the judges will be looking for when judging this category, as they’ll be looking to see excellent examples of career-related learning about the range of career pathways and opportunities available to them. The judges will also look for examples of schools and Careers Leaders who have helped to develop an exceptional enterprise and entrepreneurship mind-set in their pupils.
James went on to say;
“Now more than ever is it vitally important that we come together to recognise and reward those working in the education sector. Over the past few months, we have seen our industry go through such challenges times, as schools were told to close their doors in order to protect lives. But my fellow educational colleagues stepped up to this challenge, finding innovative and engaging ways to still support their students. From teaching to support staff, it was incredible to see how we have all come together as an industry. It is this strength and commitment why I feel this year’s Educate Awards are so important – as now more than ever do we need to stand-up and applaud our colleagues.”
Kim O’Brian, Founder of the Educate Awards commented;
“We are thrilled to have CareersInc on board and supporting the new Careers & Enterprise Award. Preparation for future employment in the ever-changing world of work is so important and it is only right to shine the spotlight on those schools and colleges that are going above and beyond for pupils and students.”
The Educate Awards are scheduled to take place in November 2020 in Liverpool. Visit their website to find out more or to get involved.