- 20th May 2025
- Back to All News
Our Careers Hub team partnered with Social Enterprise Academy and Redbridge Connexions Team to deliver Social Enterprise Schools for a second year in Redbridge.
On the 15th of May, seven schools across Redbridge and a group of young people who are currently under home tuition pitched their impressive social enterprise ideas to an expert panel at the Social Enterprise Schools: Dragons’ Den competition at Cineworld Ilford.
The panel of ‘dragons’ included Forogh Rahmani (Director of Local London), Lawrence Gosling (Head of PR, Comms and Content at Artemis), and Junaed Mortuza (HCM Solutions Architect at SAP).
The Dragons’ Den event provides an opportunity for pupils to gain professional advice on their social enterprise business ideas. The young entrepreneurs honed their public speaking skills and our dragons gained valuable insights into the issues that matter most to the next generation.
Social enterprise ideas pitched on the day included an initiative that aims to tackle voter apathy amongst young people; resin coasters made by young people with SEND to build on their physical development, social and communication skills; a social enterprise that runs sporting sessions to reduce screen time amongst young people; and, an inclusive online learning environment for young people that may not be able to attend mainstream or SEND provision.
Taking home £100, the overall winners of the Dragons’ Den were Armoress – Safety In Every Pocket from Seven Kings School, whose social enterprise empowers women, students and night-shift workers with a jacked designed to protect. However, the dragons were blown away by the pitches and recognised all social enterprise groups with an award.
Pupils are running their social enterprises as part of the Social Enterprise Schools programme, delivered by the Social Enterprise Academy, which empowers young people to affect social change in their communities, while developing key core employability and entrepreneurial skills for the future.
Forogh Rahmani, Director of Local London said: “Today was a huge amount of fun. I am blown away by all brilliant ideas and presentations we were treated to today. As Dragons, the students made our decisions really difficult as they all showed great potential as social entrepreneurs. I am delighted that at Redbridge Connexions Team, Social Enterprise Academy, and the team at Local London Careers Hub put on this innovative event for a second year because it’s really important that young people get opportunities to explore their different talents and how they might shape their future career choices.”
Fiona Barrett, Redbridge Connexions Manager, London Borough of Redbridge said: “What an amazing event. Incredible to see the huge amount of talent we have in the young people of Redbridge. Such innovative ideas and pitches presented in such a professional way by the young people. Also, delighted with the inclusivity of the event seeing young people from our Special school and those unable to access mainstream education present alongside our mainstream schools.
It has been a pleasure to collaborate with Local London Careers Hub and the Social Enterprise Academy to deliver this wonderful project with the young people of Redbridge. A huge thank you too to the schools and young people who took part who are a credit to our borough.”
Maya Wenzel, Delivery Lead (England) at the Social Enterprise Academy said: “One of my favourite parts of my job is being able to see the next generation of social entrepreneurs in action! I was blown away by the calibre of the initiatives presented at the Redbridge Dragons’ Dens – they all shared creative and thoughtful responses to local social and environmental issues and have a great future ahead of them.”
Schools who presented at the Social Enterprise Schools: Dragons’ Den competition:
- Oaks Park School
- Little Heath School
- Ark Isaac Newton Academy
- Ilford County High School
- Seven Kings School
- Ursuline Academy Ilford
- Caterham High School
- Home Tuition at the Redbridge Medical and Inclusion Service
For more information on how to get involved in the Social Enterprise Schools programme, please visit: socialenterprise.academy
Find out more
Find out more about our Careers Hub.
As part of our Careers Hub’s work to broaden the career choices of all young people in our sub-region, our team, in conjunction with the Hub’s Cornerstone Employers, are helping parents and carers understand more of the options available to their children.
On 24 April 2025, we held a ‘Future Focus’ event for parents and carers of students in Enfield. At the event, held at Enfield Grammar School, over 100 parents, carers and young people attended expert-led workshops and met with a wide range of employers, education, training and apprenticeship bodies to learn more about career pathways.
Forogh Rahmani, Director of Local London explained “It is really important that we empower parents and carers to support their children’s career choices. There are so many options these days that it can feel a bit overwhelming. Through events like this and our wider work we want to give parents and carers the information they need to help their children study for and take their next best steps into post-16 or 18 education or training.”
The programme of 20-minute workshops led by experts proved particularly popular, with over 90% of attendees taking part. The workshops covered:
- Supporting young people into the world of work, led by Framestore visual effect company.
- Supporting students with SEND into the world of work, led by West Lea School.
Discovering apprenticeships, led by First Rung Training Ltd. - Exploring vocational qualifications and T-Levels, led by Barnet and Southgate College.
I didn’t even know that was a career path
Attending the event to find out more about options for her child, Sam*, parent from Enfield, said “I loved the Young People in Print stand. I didn’t even know that was a career path. It’s definitely one I will look into more.”
Our team would like to thank our hosts, all the parents, carers and students who attended and all the brilliant businesses who supported the event, including:
- TfL
- Framestore
- Rooff
- Mears
- RAF
- Barnet and Southgate College
- First Rung
- West Lea School
- Taylor Woodrow
- Royal Veterinary College
- London Screen Academy
- Capel Manor College
- Vistry
- Young People in Print
- DWP
- ASK Apprenticeships
- HR Fit for Purpose
- Project Search
- North London NHS Foundation Trust
- Serco
Find out more
To find out more about future events contact careershub.east@redbridge.gov.uk
Or follow the team on Linkedin: @careershub-east
- 24th April 2025
- Back to All News
Checking Post Ofsted praises well-designed careers programme
We recently hosted the second in a series of webinars designed to support micro, small and medium-sized businesses in London to find and develop existing talent.
Over 70 people joined the online session which focused on Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), an initiative helping employers bridge skills gaps while providing jobseekers with essential training and employment opportunities.
Subheading
We recently hosted the second in a series of webinars designed to support micro, small and medium-sized businesses in London to find and develop existing talent.
Over 70 people joined the online session which focused on Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), an initiative helping employers bridge skills gaps while providing jobseekers with essential training and employment opportunities.
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The event was highly interactive. Attendees from businesses across London, public sector and education partners posed live questions to a panel of experts representing all perspectives of this collaborative approach to addressing employers’ skills needs, including:
- Roy Pearce and Lauren Rogers from L&Q, a leading housing provider, shared their perspective on using SWAPs to address skills shortages and enhance social impact in their business.
- Divine Bonsu, who joined L&Q through SWAPs, provided a first-hand account of her journey, offering valuable insights into how the programme has shaped her career.
- Adrian Gabriel-Lovell, Operations Manager, and Abigail Fernandes, Employer and Partnership Manager from Jobcentre Plus who explained how SWAPs connect jobseekers with training providers and helps employers to create direct pathways into work.
- Paul Mason Hughes, Community and Partnerships Manager at New City College, discussed how educational institutions can collaborate with employers to ensure training aligns with industry needs.
- Cathy Back, LSIP Employer Engagement at Local London, outlined how employers and training providers are addressing local skills gaps through SWAPs and other initiatives.
“It was an excellent webinar. My knowledge of SWAPs has increased, and it was great to hear the success stories of the SWAP” commented one attendee after the event.
Watch the webinar
The webinar was delivered as part of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), a pan-London strategy funded by the Department for Education and delivered by Business LDN in collaboration with London’s four sub-regional partnerships (SRPs): Local London, South London Partnership (SLP), Central London Forward (CLF), and West London Alliance (WLA).
The London LSIP aims to create employer-led training initiatives that address workforce development needs across the capital.
Sign up to the next event in the series
- 1-2pm
- 26 February 2025
Join South London Partnerships and South London Careers Hub to explore: How do we give young people meaningful experiences of the world of work and inspire the next generation? Book your place at the next FREE webinar in the series.
Sign up to the next event in the series
For more information on upcoming webinars and workforce development initiatives, explore our website or get in touch with lsip.locallondon@redbridge.gov.uk if you would like access to the webinar recording.
Discover our latest newsletter and Skills Special www.local.london/news/newsletter
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Donec elementum viverra tristique orci pharetra. Nunc non nullam nisi volutpat justo et. Aliquam magna ut consequat tellus facilisi pretium et. Sed sit leo tellus morbi elementum mauris.
Ac quam condimentum vel vulputate tortor velit viverra posuere. Volutpat vitae eu vel adipiscing pretium. Facilisis vitae bibendum ultrices vitae leo tellus. Turpis volutpat non integer pretium ligula at amet nibh vitae. Non ultrices venenatis eleifend fames lorem leo sit vitae. Elit viverra gravida arcu nunc arcu mauris mauris volutpat lacus. Phasellus lectus eu consequat nisl. Ac eget hendrerit euismod nam neque netus facilisi. Habitant phasellus et nunc ante. Ipsum at nisl vitae nunc eleifend vitae. Arcu enim euismod id nibh quis hendrerit. Commodo.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Donec elementum viverra tristique orci pharetra. Nunc non nullam nisi volutpat justo et. Aliquam magna ut consequat tellus facilisi pretium et. Sed sit leo tellus morbi elementum mauris.
Ac quam condimentum vel vulputate tortor velit viverra posuere. Volutpat vitae eu vel adipiscing pretium. Facilisis vitae bibendum ultrices vitae leo tellus. Turpis volutpat non integer pretium ligula at amet nibh vitae
- 11th April 2025
- Back to All News
Draft layout – Ofsted praises well-designed careers programme
We recently hosted the second in a series of webinars designed to support micro, small and medium-sized businesses in London to find and develop existing talent.
Over 70 people joined the online session which focused on Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), an initiative helping employers bridge skills gaps while providing jobseekers with essential training and employment opportunities.
Subheading
We recently hosted the second in a series of webinars designed to support micro, small and medium-sized businesses in London to find and develop existing talent.
Over 70 people joined the online session which focused on Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), an initiative helping employers bridge skills gaps while providing jobseekers with essential training and employment opportunities.
Caption goes here - aliquam magna ut consequat tellus facilisi pretium et. Sed sit leo tellus morbi elementum mauris.
The event was highly interactive. Attendees from businesses across London, public sector and education partners posed live questions to a panel of experts representing all perspectives of this collaborative approach to addressing employers’ skills needs, including:
- Roy Pearce and Lauren Rogers from L&Q, a leading housing provider, shared their perspective on using SWAPs to address skills shortages and enhance social impact in their business.
- Divine Bonsu, who joined L&Q through SWAPs, provided a first-hand account of her journey, offering valuable insights into how the programme has shaped her career.
- Adrian Gabriel-Lovell, Operations Manager, and Abigail Fernandes, Employer and Partnership Manager from Jobcentre Plus who explained how SWAPs connect jobseekers with training providers and helps employers to create direct pathways into work.
- Paul Mason Hughes, Community and Partnerships Manager at New City College, discussed how educational institutions can collaborate with employers to ensure training aligns with industry needs.
- Cathy Back, LSIP Employer Engagement at Local London, outlined how employers and training providers are addressing local skills gaps through SWAPs and other initiatives.
“It was an excellent webinar. My knowledge of SWAPs has increased, and it was great to hear the success stories of the SWAP” commented one attendee after the event.
Watch the webinar
The webinar was delivered as part of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), a pan-London strategy funded by the Department for Education and delivered by Business LDN in collaboration with London’s four sub-regional partnerships (SRPs): Local London, South London Partnership (SLP), Central London Forward (CLF), and West London Alliance (WLA).
The London LSIP aims to create employer-led training initiatives that address workforce development needs across the capital.
Sign up to the next event in the series
- 1-2pm
- 26 February 2025
Join South London Partnerships and South London Careers Hub to explore: How do we give young people meaningful experiences of the world of work and inspire the next generation? Book your place at the next FREE webinar in the series.
Sign up to the next event in the series
For more information on upcoming webinars and workforce development initiatives, explore our website or get in touch with lsip.locallondon@redbridge.gov.uk if you would like access to the webinar recording.
Discover our latest newsletter and Skills Special www.local.london/news/newsletter
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Donec elementum viverra tristique orci pharetra. Nunc non nullam nisi volutpat justo et. Aliquam magna ut consequat tellus facilisi pretium et. Sed sit leo tellus morbi elementum mauris.
Ac quam condimentum vel vulputate tortor velit viverra posuere. Volutpat vitae eu vel adipiscing pretium. Facilisis vitae bibendum ultrices vitae leo tellus. Turpis volutpat non integer pretium ligula at amet nibh vitae. Non ultrices venenatis eleifend fames lorem leo sit vitae. Elit viverra gravida arcu nunc arcu mauris mauris volutpat lacus. Phasellus lectus eu consequat nisl. Ac eget hendrerit euismod nam neque netus facilisi. Habitant phasellus et nunc ante. Ipsum at nisl vitae nunc eleifend vitae. Arcu enim euismod id nibh quis hendrerit. Commodo.
Heading
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Donec elementum viverra tristique orci pharetra. Nunc non nullam nisi volutpat justo et. Aliquam magna ut consequat tellus facilisi pretium et. Sed sit leo tellus morbi elementum mauris.
Ac quam condimentum vel vulputate tortor velit viverra posuere. Volutpat vitae eu vel adipiscing pretium. Facilisis vitae bibendum ultrices vitae leo tellus. Turpis volutpat non integer pretium ligula at amet nibh vitae
Local London school, King’s Oak in Greenwich received excellent feedback from Ofsted following a visit in November 2024.
The national education and skills inspector was impressed with the school’s excellence across the board, providing specialist support for young people in years 7 to 11 with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
As a school highly engaged with our Careers Hub, we were delighted that the careers education programme received praise for showcasing the range of pathways and preparing students for life after they leave school.
(Pictured above: student from King’s Oak School engaging with Barking and Dagenham College at one of our events focussed on creative and digital careers)
Working with mainstream and specialist schools across nine boroughs north and south of the river, we recognise the commitment it takes from within and outside the school to create top-tier careers education programmes.
From headteachers, to careers leaders, external advisors and local businesses, it takes a community of people working together to deliver meaningful careers programmes that empower young people to make the best choices for themselves.
The school has implemented a well-designed careers programme….so that pupils have the best possible chance of success.
The unusually extensive and appreciative Ofsted comment relating specifically to careers education at King’s Oak School noted:
‘The school has implemented a well-designed careers programme. This ensures that pupils are well prepared for the challenges that they may face when they become adults. The school supports pupils to explore the different options available. Pupils develop positive attitudes that will help them cope with the demands of employment, further education or training. Leaders work closely with local colleges so that the pupils have the best possible chance of success.’ Ofsted visit November 2024
Stephen O’Leary, Interim Director of Local London said “Our team have thoroughly enjoy working with staff at the school, especially Howard Shearing the careers lead. King’s Oak’s continuous engagement with the Careers Hub has been greatly appreciated. They’ve welcomed and worked with us to develop ideas.
On behalf of the team at Local London, I would like to say huge congratulations to the school’s team, and also to the Careers Adviser, Simon Connolly, provided by the Royal Borough of Greenwich who has provided exceptional support to the school. This positive feedback from Ofsted is a fabulous reflection what partnership working can achieve.”
Howard Shearing, Head of Careers at King’s Oak School commented ‘We certainly could not have achieved where we are careers-wise without the Careers Hub’s support and help over the last few years in bringing it all together.”
We would also like to acknowledge the following people at King’s Oak School whose commitment have created such an outstanding example of brilliant careers education:
- Mr Meic Griffiths – Executive Headteacher.
- Mrs Jill Smith – Head of School.
- Mr Jim Spark – Head of Achievement, Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.
Can we help your school deliver great careers advice?
As well as matching people from the business world with schools to enhance class-room learning, our team work with school staff to reach and exceed national standards for careers education.
If you are a school or business wanting to work with the Local London Careers Hub please contact us on careershub.east@redbridge.gov.uk or find out more about what we do here www.local.london/what-we-do/programmes/careers-hub
Our team’s work is made possible with funding from the Careers and Enterprise Company, The Mayor of London, and UKSPF.
Our Careers Hub, work with over 210 schools in our nine boroughs to bring together careers leaders and employers, to enhance Careers Education and Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG).
Our team ensure CEIAG is relevant to the needs of the labour market and inspires students to consider the huge opportunities available to them post-16.
Across our boroughs, our dedicated team support careers leaders and teachers in partnership with employers, to develop exciting initiatives, events, workshops and site visits that have improved careers education in our schools and colleges.
This improvement has been marked by a year-on-year increase in mainstream and special education establishments meeting the national standards (Gatsby Benchmarks) in eight key areas of careers education.
Achievements across Local London
This year we are proud to report that we are engaged with more mainstream and specialist schools than ever before to enhance CEIAG.
This year our achievements include:
- 214 schools engaged with our Careers Hub (94% of schools in our sub-region)
- 27% increase in average careers benchmark attainment across the sub-region.
- 23% of schools achieving all eight benchmarks – including mainstream and SEND schools, and alternative provision establishments in Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Newham and Waltham Forest – exceeding the national average of 20%.
- Over 7,200 students from 29 institutions completed the Careers and Enterprise Company’s Future Skills Questionnaire – that helps measure learners’ career readiness and the impact of careers education programmes.
- 31 schools from across all 9 of our boroughs benefitted from our Careers Impact Fund, this supported additional careers activities including: work experience placements, and interactions with employers, further and higher education institutions.
Borough highlights include:
- 100% of schools in Havering engaged with the Careers Hub.
- Over 90% of schools in Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, Newham and Waltham Forest are engaged with the Careers Hub.
- 100% of schools in Greenwich received support from an enterprise adviser.
- 5 schools from Redbridge took part in the Social Enterprise Schools: Dragons’ Den competition at Redbridge Town Hall in Ilford, pitching enterprise ideas to panel of experts.
Celebrating the business people and educators making careers education brilliant
One of the team’s major focuses is to recruit employees from businesses to work with education establishments share their experiences with young people about moving into their role and sector, as well as to help teachers learn about career pathways for their students.
A key highlight from the year was the conference celebrating the work of our brilliant careers leaders and volunteers from businesses (known as enterprise advisers) from across our boroughs. Over 130 careers leaders and enterprise advisers were invited to come together to network, learn and recognise the most outstanding local achievements.
Find out more about our Careers Education Community Conference.
Help inspire young people in east London
Our Careers Hub team is always looking for volunteers from all kinds of businesses who can engage and inspire young people in the north east and south east London to broaden and raise their career aspirations. Could you share your experience and learning?
Get in touch with careershub.east@redbridge.gov.uk
Find out more and watch our video about volunteering with us.
Our thanks to partners and schools
These great achievements have only been made possible with the support of fantastic schools and career leaders, our growing network of enthusiastic enterprise advisers, and our funders: Careers and Enterprise Company and Mayor of London.
We are delighted that our Careers Hub East team’s work with long-term corporate partner CGI were recognised at the Corporate Engagement Awards on 19 September 2024.
Held at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, the Corporate Engagement Awards celebrate the most successful and innovative corporate partnerships and sponsorships, and the communication strategies around those collaborations.
Our collaboration with CGI, one of the world’s leading IT and business consulting services firms, took the overall win in the award for Best Environmental or Sustainable Programme.
Together, we were also awarded bronze in the Best educational programme category, won by Team GB and Paralympics GB with Hark.
We are excited to have been recognised for our joint work on our flagship Sustainable Careers Fest, a green skills event that brings to life green career opportunities and pathways for secondary school students and teachers across our nine boroughs.
Stephen O’Leary, Interim Director for Local London said “With CGI’s passionate support for sustainability and supporting future generations, this event has helped thousands of students across our sub-region broaden their knowledge of green career opportunities. We are thrilled to have been recognised at these awards in two categories amongst such prestigious partnerships. Local London Careers Hub developed an event that has provided a lasting legacy, with CGI now funding and organising the Sustainable Careers Fest in partnership with employers involved in the event. The support of employers is paramount in keeping careers education relevant, exciting and practical.”
Corporate Engagement Award Category Winners and Medallists
Best environmental or sustainable programme medallists
- Gold – CGI UK Ltd and Local London Careers Hub
- Silver – Springer Nature and Giki
- Silver – WRAP with Hark and Radley Yeldar
- Bronze – Booking.com and UN Tourism
- Bronze – Coca-Cola Türkiye and Linkus PR
Best educational programme medallists
- Gold – Team GB and ParalympicsGB with Hark
- Silver – Dove Self-Esteem Project and UNICEF
- Silver – The Rail Industry and The Scouts Association
- Bronze – CGI UK Ltd and Local London Careers Hub
- Bronze – Premiership Rugby with Central YMCA, The CVC Foundation and East Head Impact
- Highly commended – Cisco UK and Ireland with Connectr
The next Green Careers event is being organised by CGI on 05 December at London Stadium.
⇒Discover more about the 2024 Corporate Engagement Awards
⇒Discover more about CGI
⇒Discover more about our Careers Hub team and Sustainability Careers Fest 2023
Local London’s Careers Hub team is committed to ensuring all young people across our sub-region get the best careers education and experience possible to broaden their aspirations.
Our team is engaging with young people with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD) to highlight the wealth of career and education options available. This is part of a wider strategy that includes training for careers leaders to promote LDD options, providing information and resources for schools and colleges, engaging with employers through Local London’s Ability NOT Disability workshops to encourage them to offer more opportunities to people with LDD.
Careers fairs dedicated to students with LDD and their teachers
Responding to the needs of students with LDD, our team recently organised two dedicated careers fairs for students at specialist and mainstream schools, held at Waltham Forest College and Bromley Campus of London South East College (LSEC) Trust.
Over 340 students between years 7 and 13, from 19 special schools and 2 alternative provisions across our sub-region came to:
- Discover a wider range of post-16 options.
- Talk to prospective employers.
- Find out about skills and training opportunities.
- Learn about how to make the most of apprenticeships and work experiences.
Sam*, who attended the event at Waltham Forest College said “I felt heard. I learned about different types of work experience, disability charities and courses. As well as support and training.”
Alfi, who came to the event at LSEC, said “Today has been good. I really liked talking to Capel Manor and learning about gardening.”
Parents, carers and teachers found it helpful too. David, one of the parents who came to find out more, said “This event has been so informative. There were very knowledgeable providers. It was super!” While, Emma, a teacher, commented “Today I’ve learned more about incorporating careers into the curriculum, and I now have more knowledge of post-16 and post-19 options.”
Brilliant businesses bring career options to life
34 businesses, training providers, and colleges came to the event to speak to students tell them about a whole gamut of exciting roles and careers pathways, including an employability programme for autistic young people, and supported internships.
Students and teachers were able to find out about different roles with the Met police, KPMG, and the Army. Taylor Wimpey and Lovells came to talk to students about different roles in the construction sector beyond usual manual jobs, including marketing, finance and how an interest in digital software can translate into the industry. Local Bexley SME, Taking the Pixels, explained how a creative interest could become a career in film and photography, captivating interest with some of their work and cameras.
Other highlights included the sensory smart cane which can be linked to apps brought by Vision Ability, and fidget toys and interactive gadgets brought Talper SEND.
Unity Works attended both events to highlight their training and supported employment programme. DWP were keen to spotlight skills and roles in many sectors, and ASK were on site to talk about apprenticeships.
Education providers including Waltham Forest College, London South East Colleges, Capel Manor, Learning and Enterprise College Bexley showcased courses to develop skills for work at a range of levels in everything from maths to horticulture. While Mencap and Carers Voice were able to provide advice on internships and support available as young people transition into adulthood.
Sarah Murray, Director of Local London said “Through our programmes, we are working to help young people and adults across our boroughs get into work. We recognise that many people have different needs; the events and training we are organising are designed to highlight opportunities and support available so that doors open.”
Alyaa, Learning and Enterprise College Bexley, said “Today has been a great day to speak to young people who may be interested in our tailored courses and to network with employers with whom we can find pathways for finding internships, apprenticeships or paid employment opportunities after they have finished studying with us.”
Huge thanks to everyone who participated and helped support these events. We will be organising more!
Want to get involved?
Our team welcome businesses and individuals wanting to work with schools in our boroughs to share their careers stories and inspire our young people to explore all their options.
If you would like to be involved in our next LDD careers fair, please contact careershub.east@redbridge.gov.uk
⇒ Find out more about our Careers Hub East team.
⇒ Find out more about our Ability Not Disability training.
*Name changed.
On 26 June, we were delighted to invite over 130 careers leaders, enterprise advisors and businesses together to celebrate the fantastic work they do to help young people understand the wealth of career pathways available to them.
Our Careers Hub team introduces passionate business people from a range of sectors (our enterprise advisors) to work with careers leaders in mainstream and specialist education. This lived experience makes careers education dynamic and practical, and helps schools meet and exceed national benchmarks.
Our all-day Careers Education Community Conference at Teesside University London, in Stratford, was an opportunity to recognise the excellent work happening across our boroughs, to share learning and build relationships.
A day of learning
The day kicked off with a brief welcome from Sarah Murray, Director of Local London, Katheryn Elliott, Head of Partnerships and Teesside University London and Oli De Botton, CEO of the Careers Enterprise Company.
Attendees then broke into groups for workshops covering pertinent subjects including:
- Understanding the labour market.
- Parental engagement strategies.
- Practical ways to support pupils with SEND.
- Gaining traction for Gatsby Benchmark 4.
- Overview of pre-internships for SEND students.
- Designing and delivering careers activities for young people (for enterprise advisors).
After lunch Prof Deidre Hughes OBE delivered a dynamic talk, touching on international approaches and impacts on careers advice, as well as the role of careers advisors and AI in preparing young people for the future world of work.
Tracy Eve, Local London Careers Hub Lead, shared updates regarding the hub’s work as well as highlighting teacher encounter and VIP (Visiting Industry Professionals) days, designed to help schools achieve benchmarks 4 and 6 respectively.
This was followed by an awards ceremony celebrating people’s contribution to making careers education brilliant for students across our boroughs.
Celebrating our careers super stars
The award winners, runners up in each category were:
Most Inspirational Business of the Year
- Winner: CGI UK.
- Runner up: Wates.
Most Inspirational Enterprise Adviser of the Year
- Winner: Timothy Wilson, Higgins Partnerships.
- Runner up: Trevor Gomes, RISE Coaching and Mentoring.
Most Inspirational Careers Leader of the Year (SEND / PRU / AP)
- Joint Winners: Lauren Bakewell, Cleeve Meadow School, Bexley and Hannah Bruney-Bunbury, Hawkswood Therapeutic PRU, Waltham Forest.
Most Inspirational Careers Leader of the Year (Mainstream)
- Winner: Hardeep Kaur Phull, Eden Girls’ School, Waltham Forest.
- Runner up: Shoheb Manjra, All Saints Catholic School and Technology College, Barking and Dagenham.
Sarah Murray, Director of Local London, said “Congratulations to today’s award winners, runners up and nominees. Our team would really like to send a huge thank you to all the enterprise advisors, careers leaders and businesses working across our boroughs. These fantastic people make such a huge difference to the outlook young people here have on their options after secondary school. Hats off to all of you.”
Creating Connections
Concluding the day, attendees were able to network and discover more about each other at the provider marketplace. This was an opportunity for careers leaders and advisors in schools to learn about how the exhibitors could work with them to help schools create meaningful careers curriculum and highlight a multitude of pathways.
Careers Leader at Eastbury School, Barking and Dagenham, Ferdausi Rahman, said “I found the Parental Engagement workshop very helpful. I am really excited to try out some of the different strategies we went through in the session, especially the tips for engaging with parents whose first language is not English. It’s also been great networking and getting ideas from other careers leaders, we rarely get to do it on this kind of scale.”
Derwent Jaconelli, Managing Director at Urgent Services Limited who was an award nominee, commented “If it wasn’t for the careers hub there’d be no real careers information for students. I got involved because I wanted to make a difference and help today’s young people get better information than I got about what is out there. I’ve worked with some motivated careers advisors who have listened to me and I try to encourage people I know to get involved because our experiences bring that understanding to life.”
What’s next?
The careers hub team would love to work with people from any sector who care about inspiring young people to broaden their career horizons.
Equally the team are passionate about helping schools provide the best careers advice and experiences to students. Our teacher encounters and VIP (Visiting Industry Professionals) days are part of our wide offer.
To find out more contact the careers hub team careershub.east@redbridge.gov.uk
Read more news from the Local London careers hub.
The Local London Careers Hub proudly partner with Redbridge Connexions Team and Social Enterprise Academy to develop a Social Enterprise Schools project in Redbridge.
On 7 May 2024, five schools across Redbridge pitched their impressive social enterprise ideas to an expert panel at the Social Enterprise Schools: Dragons’ Den competition at Redbridge Town Hall in Ilford.
The panel of ‘dragons’ included Colin Stewart from London Borough of Redbridge, Sarah Murray from Local London, Griff Tanner from Cirrus Logic, and Sofia Paci from BGF.
The Dragons’ Den event provided an opportunity for pupils to gain professional advice on their social enterprise business ideas. The young entrepreneurs honed their public speaking skills and the dragons gained valuable insights into the issues that matter most to the next generation. Social enterprise ideas pitched on the day included multiple upcycling schemes; hand-made sensory boxes; a mental health scheme for women and girls; an anti-littering social enterprise; and a healthy eating business tackling poor nutrition.
The overall winners of the Dragons’ Den were Fresh Fusion at Isaac Newton Academy receiving £100. Mayfield School were recognised for the Best Environmental Enterprise, and Little Heath School for Best Product.
Pupils are running their social enterprises as part of the Social Enterprise Schools programme, delivered by the Social Enterprise Academy, which empowers young people to affect social change in their communities, while developing key core employability and entrepreneurial skills for the future.
Sarah Murray, Director of Local London said:
“I’m out! Out of words to say how brilliant the students’ ideas and presentations were. I hope that they all found this as exciting and fun as we did. Redbridge clearly has many talented budding social entrepreneurs. Thank you to our partners at Redbridge Connexions Team, Social Enterprise Academy, and the team at Local London Careers Hub for putting on this innovative event.”
Colin Stewart, Director of Education and Inclusion, London Borough of Redbridge said:
“The quality of the pitches was so impressive. It wasn’t just a collection of ideas – instead pupils had thought about real life issues and ways in which they could help solve the problems. Every school’s pitch had creativity and innovation at its core – as judges we were blown away by how good they were.”
Maya Wenzel, Delivery Lead (England) at the Social Enterprise Academy said:
“One of my favourite parts of my job is being able to see the next generation of social entrepreneurs in action! I was blown away by the calibre of the initiatives presented at the Redbridge Dragons’ Dens – they all shared creative and thoughtful responses to local social and environmental issues and have a great future ahead of them.”
Congratulations to all the students and schools who presented at the Social Enterprise Schools ‘Dragons’ Den’ competition:
- Oaks Park School
- Little Heath School
- Isaac Newton Academy
- Mayfield School
- Ilford County High School
Find out more
⇒ For more information on how to get involved in the Social Enterprise Schools programme, please visit: www.socialenterprise.academy/social-enterprise-schools-england
⇒ Redbridge Connexions: www.redbridge.gov.uk/young-people/connexions
The Local London Careers Hub is funded through the Careers and Enterprise Company and Mayor of London.
⇒ Discover more news from our Careers Hub team.