Management Information Sheet

Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils are working with the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (NALEP) to recruit a network of senior business leaders to volunteer to work with schools and colleges as 'Enterprise Advisers'. Enterprise Advisers will work strategically with senior leaders in schools and colleges to help them enhance their business engagement plans in order to improve the quality and consistency of careers, work related and enterprise education and to broker activities with businesses and enterprise providers.

The programme is funded by the national Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC), established to deliver Lord Young's "Enterprise for All" strategy which includes the goal of working through the LEPs to establish a national network of volunteer Enterprise Advisers drawn from leadership positions in the local business community and public sector. The New Anglia Enterprise Adviser Network will build upon the experience of the 2014 Work Inspiration pilot in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft which helped to test the proposals of the "Enterprise for All" report.

The role of the Enterprise Advisers will be to:

• Work strategically with senior leaders and other staff in schools and colleges to review and improve the quality and consistency of careers & enterprise programmes and employer/business engagement plans.
• Provide brokerage between the identified needs of schools/colleges and the business community including signposting to other providers of careers, enterprise and employer engagement services
• Build capacity and promote greater consistency and coverage from years 7-13
• Identify 'what works' in order to share and promote good practice

The Norfolk network of Enterprise Advisers will be recruited, managed and supported by two Enterprise Coordinators employed and managed by Norfolk County Council. The Coordinators' role will be to contact schools to discuss the programme and how it can help/support them, and then to match Enterprise Advisers with schools and provide ongoing support to the Advisers and the schools/colleges.

During the next two years, our ambitions are to:

1. Recruit, train and support 150 high calibre business and public sector leaders to take on the roles of volunteer Enterprise Advisers working with schools and colleges that wish to engage with the programme.
2. Across Norfolk and Suffolk, to engage all secondary schools, academies, special schools/complex needs schools, pupil referral units/short stay schools and alternative education settings to take advantage of the Enterprise Adviser programme.

Proposed outcomes of the New Anglia programme

• Greater and more consistent business/employer engagement across the 11-19 education system
• All Norfolk schools/colleges using the Gatsby 'Benchmarks' framework for good careers guidance to review and enhance the quality of employer engagement
• Enhanced enterprise education, careers guidance and work related learning in schools and colleges
• Inspirational provision that motivates and support young people to make informed and aspirational choices.
• Greater understanding by teachers/advisers and by young people of opportunities and skill needs of the local economy
• Improved employability and enterprise skills of young people that support the skills pipeline across Norfolk and Suffolk
• Better sharing and promotion of good practice in careers and enterprise education

The programme will build on the "Developing Norfolk's Future Workforce" initiative which provides a range of activities that promote employer and labour market 'inspiration' for young people, teachers and advisers. The Enterpriser Adviser programme will also work with and bring coherence to other programmes across the County including through the Young Chamber, Business in the Community (BITC); National Careers Service (NCS); STEMNET/Connect EB and The Skills Service.

Next steps

There will be no charge for school, colleges or businesses to be involved in the Enterprise Adviser programme. Our two Enterprise Coordinators will be in contact with all schools and colleges during the next two months.

In the meantime, schools or colleges wishing to express an interest should contact: Melvyn Ruff, IAG Support Manager, Education Partnership Service, melvyn.ruff@norfolk.gov.uk