All About School Leavers hosts inaugural School Leaver Conference

Emma Finamore
Last updated 29 Nov 2016

The first School Leaver Conference covered in-depth, data-driven research on the school leaver market, the Apprenticeship Levy, schools and employers working together, decision-making for young people and corporate responsibility and diversity.

Relationships between schools and employers are set to become more effective in helping young people make better career choices, with the launch of the School Leaver Conference.

AllAboutSchoolLeavers hosted the first School Leaver Conference on Wednesday 26 October 2016, bringing together industry experts, schools, employers and empirical evidence for the first time, using talks, panels and workshops to cover topics such as the new Apprenticeship Levy, and the work schools can do with employers.

“We are really excited to host the first School Leaver Conference,” said Jack Denton, co-founder of AllAboutSchoolLeavers. “The biggest names in the school leaver market attended, working towards building stronger relationships and providing a sustainable way for employers and schools to interact.

“Using AllAboutSchoolLeavers’ research into the school leaver market, which we carried out in association with YouGov, attendance to the School Leaver Conference was imperative for anyone involved in this increasingly important field.”

The event included a key stakeholder panel, featuring an apprentice, a parent of an apprentice, as well as representatives from schools, apprentice employers and recruitment.

Millie Bowley, the panel’s apprentice representative, spoke about the importance of work experience and a lack of support from schools when it comes to apprenticeships – essential when considering why many young people don’t consider the programmes as an option. “I had to find out everything myself when it came to apprenticeship,” she said.

Other speakers and panelists included a range of experts. Claudia Harris, CEO of The Careers & Enterprise Company, discussed the importance of regional Local Enterprise Partnerships in building relationships between schools and employers. This is especially important in light of research that shows four or more interactions with employers during their school years, greatly increases the likelihood of young people flourishing in employment.

Workshops also took place on topics such as building relationships with schools, the Apprenticeship Levy, reaching parents, decision making for young people and the role of school leaders.

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