Careers support in the region is set for a boost as it was today (May 20) announced the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority have been successful in their bid to expand the local Careers Hub.
In September last year, The Careers & Enterprise Company launched 20 Careers Hubs across England, with Tees Valley part of the Department for Education’s first national pilot to improve careers support for young people.
The Secretary of State for Education has now revealed the Tees Valley Hub will be one of two to be expanded, alongside a second wave of 18 new hubs backed by a further £2.5million investment.
The latest evidence shows that Tees Valley is the strongest performer of all hubs, well outperforming the national average against the Gatsby Benchmarks, Government’s eight guidelines for best careers provision.
The expansion enables an extra 25 schools and colleges to join the programme, working together with Tees Valley Combined Authority,universities, training providers, employers and career professionals. To enhance this offer, Mayor Ben Houchen will extend this offer to all 70 schools and colleges in Tees Valley, to create a single coordinated approach to careers education.
The Hub is another strand in the Combined Authority’s education strategy, which includes the UK-first £3million TeesValleyCareers.com initiative. This aims to link the region’s 100,000 young people with more than 1,000 businesses to ensure seven meaningful employer engagements while at school.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “I’m delighted that the first phase of our Careers Hub has been so successful, and its fantastic performance demonstrates the dedication our teachers, businesses and training providers have in nurturing the next generation of local talent.
“For the Tees Valley to thrive and our young people to have a rewarding career, it’s essential they are engaged with the careers options that are out there, and fully aware of the skills our businesses need to succeed.
“Thanks to this expansion, which I am making available to each and every one of our schools and colleges, we can work even harder to give our students the best start on their route to high-quality careers while supporting our job creators and key sectors.”
Claudia Harris, CEO of The Careers & Enterprise Company, said: “Careers education is improving across the country. Tees Valley Careers Hub is one the very top performing areas in the country. It has done a fantastic job engaging employers, schools and colleges and is providing young people with outstanding careers support.
“We are delighted to have been able to award Tees Valley an extension to their Careers Hubs so they can build on this brilliant work. This is part of our roll out of the Careers Hub model to a quarter of schools and colleges in the country, helping more young people get the vital support and opportunities they need.”
Secretary of State for Education The Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP said: “It is so important that young people get to know about a range of different jobs and careers so they can see the possible opportunities out there. Good careers education is such a valuable asset that helps children to explore future possibilities and go on to lead happy rewarding lives.
“Careers Hubs bring together schools, colleges, universities and employers to share their expertise and improve the careers education on offer to make sure young people have the information they need to make the most of their talents.
“Today’s investment will give thousands more young people access to expert careers support as they take those first exciting steps into their future.”
