The first question that is always asked is ‘What is an enterprise adviser?’.
An enterprise adviser is a business professional who comes from any industry sector or professional background, be that employed, or self-employed, that is dedicated to making a lasting impact on the future outcomes of young people.
An enterprise adviser will volunteer their time to achieve positive change in local schools and colleges, using core skills including relationship building and being analytical.
Julie has been volunteering in the role of Enterprise Adviser for over 2 years, sharing both her construction industry knowledge, and her leadership behaviors from a corporate career of over 14 years.
This academic year, Julie has continued to work alongside her allocated school to help support the senior leadership team strategically develop and evaluate their careers plan and to engage with local businesses and employers in her network to put a wide variety of career opportunities at the heart of young people’s education.
Activities this year have included a careers fair in the school, where children from years 10 and 11 were invited to take part in a series of workshops highlighting different careers within the construction industry. This obviously included rope access, but also an explanation of what a main contractor was, how to become a landscape architect, and how flying drones compliments the construction industry. This allowed the group to identify other careers within construction, and not just the usual roles that are common within the industry.
Julie has also taken part in mock interviews with the year 11 pupils, giving them their very first opportunity to practice interview techniques for either college, apprenticeships, or other employment. It was an important exercise to raise the confidence of these young people and show them how the skills they have developed at school, in part-time jobs, or in other outside school activities are transferrable to their future careers.
As the Class of 2023 move onto the next stages of their education or find employment and training, the stage is set for the next group of young people at the school to gain this experience and knowledge moving into the next academic year.
If you are reading this article and feel that you would like to join some of the experiences that Julie is involved with, to help the young children within their career paths, please do contact Julie at jlavery@orb.bluewingwebsites.co.uk.
