Opening Doors in the Black Country Launch

By Black Country Skills Factory
schedule12th Jul 19

Innovation in Careers Education – how will you get involved?

  • Led by the Black Country LEP and RSA Academies the launch of Opening Doors in the Black Country celebrated innovation in Careers Education.
  • RSA Academies, Black Country Careers Hub, Black Country Schools & Colleges, and Enterprise Advisers came together to share success to-date and to invite more businesses to get involved.
  • Find out more at: https://www.blackcountryskillsfactory.co.uk/schools/opening-doors/

Led by the RSA Academies & The Black Country LEP, the launch of Opening Doors in the Black Country on Wednesday 10 July was an opportunity to celebrate innovation and success in careers education as well as to invite more businesses to join the 30 employers already involved.

The event saw the launch of the Opening Doors in the Black Country brochure which highlights the Black Country companies who have already opened their doors to schools offering organised visits to showcase their business and give advice on careers in their sector.

The Opening Doors in the Black Country programme provides employers with an opportunity to provide an insight of their business and sector to local school pupils, giving young people a real view of what happens within a particular organisation and the range of career opportunities available.

Opening Doors supports the work of the Black Country Careers Hub which is made up of 36 schools and colleges all working together with Enterprise Advisor Networks, universities, training providers, employers and career professionals to improve careers education. The Consortium will be extending the Careers Hub in September to encompass all of the Black Country Secondary Schools and Colleges.

Angela Moore – Black Country Careers Hub Manager – said: “Our Opening Doors programme is a fantastic opportunity for employers to demonstrate to young people what it means to work within a particular industry. We are currently working in partnership with 30 businesses across a range of sectors each offering tailored interactions with schools from factory tours to Q&As and hands on experiences. We are encouraging more businesses to come forward to open their doors to young people from across the Black Country to ensure these insights into the world of work available to as many young people as possible.”

Colin Hopkins MBE, Executive Director RSA Academies said: “We are delighted to have worked in partnership with the Black Country Skills Factory to create the Opening Doors in the Black Country brochure. The content has been tried and tested with our own young people at the RSA Academies working with the Enterprise Advisers to identify and engage employers willing to get involved and give up their time. The brochure is a fantastic resource and we look forward to more young people benefiting from this kind of engagement resulting in them having a real understanding of careers across a range of businesses.”

Opening Doors in the Black Country provides both employers and schools to demonstrate their commitment to the careers agenda and to supporting young people across the Black Country.

Download the Opening Doors brochure with lots of useful guidance on getting involved here: https://bit.ly/32bKmHa