The CIPD’s One Million Chances campaign is looking for Enterprise Advisors to develop strong careers programmes for local schools and colleges. Here Laura Levy tells of her experience as an EA 

Deciding what career or job you want can be difficult at any age, but particularly for young people, the transition from education to work is a pivotal point in their lives.

A young person who has four or more meaningful encounters with an employer is 86% less likely to become NEET (not in education, employment or training), which is why we’re looking for volunteers to help bridge the gap between education and work. 

Enterprise Advisers are professionals from any industry who volunteer to work directly with a school or college to develop a strong careers programme and help create opportunities for young people.

“It’s also fun to learn how to use technology to deliver impactful sessions as it’s definitely something that’s going to be sticking around for some time!”

Providing careers education in schools and colleges is essential to help young people understand the opportunities available and how they can access them – there should be no barriers to meaningful careers advice.

Laura Levy, careers and professional development manager at Cass Business School, signed up to be an Enterprise Adviser in April 2020.

Laura designed two sessions for different schools, based on conversations with their Deputy Head and careers leaders. One of the sessions Laura designed, Preparing for the Future of Work, offers students an insight on the skills needed in the future workplace, and what employers are looking for from future talent.

Laura said: “I really enjoyed delivering the sessions virtually, I’ve found participants are more engaged, the sessions are more accessible and can be recorded for students to access at another time. It’s also fun to learn how to use technology to deliver impactful sessions as it’s definitely something that’s going to be sticking around for some time!”

Support the CIPD’s One Million Chances campaign to help connect young people to the world of work and help rewrite the story of the next generation by becoming an Enterprise Adviser today.