Priestley College values its relationships with employers. Together we build better futures for young people by giving them the education they need and the employability skills businesses are looking for in their workforce.
If you would like to help make a difference you can.
One of the main ways is by offering work experience. These placements must offer real value and help the young person develop the knowledge and key skills that will help them thrive in the workplace.
There are many other ways, outlined below, that you can get involved and there are many benefits for your business as well.
If you would be interested in helping our young people secure a better future, please submit an expression of interest at the bottom of this page.
Building better futures
Vesty Foods enjoys a successful link with Priestley College. We spoke to Leon Niell, the company’s Director of Industry and Retail, about the partnership.
Your business can benefit in many ways from helping our students. Here are just some of them:
- an opportunity to identify talent, assess their competencies on the job, whilst making cost and time savings in the recruitment process.
- address skills shortages and the challenges of an aging workforce by promoting your organisation and your sector
- accessing a pool of hidden talent full of people who offer enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to your business
- developing the supervisory and management skills of your current work force.
- highlight areas of recruitment within your company not commonly associated with your business.
- connect with other employers and potential clients through our developing employer networks and events.
- enhancing your public profile by supporting your local community.
We regularly welcome organisations into college to speak to our students. We can target specific groups by level of study or course area. Our employability team can advise you on the best times to reach students throughout the academic year.
We are keen to develop and inform our students on the choices that are available to them beyond Priestley College. To shape the choices they make we are keen to offer meaningful work experience opportunities. We can discuss your specific requirements relating to matching our student levels and skills to your needs and to address project length, scheduling (eg. day release, holiday periods etc)
Allowing student groups to tour your facilities and meet key staff members is a great way of exposing students to the work of your organisation. It can identify career paths they may not previously have associated with your company. Meeting staff in the work environment and seeing a real snapshot of activity is a powerful and memorable way to connect with students. It’s an efficient use of time allowing a larger number or students to experience your work setting and can be useful prior to recruitment drives, particularly for apprenticeships.
Offering our students real-world experience to help demystify and build confidence as they make their next steps is hugely important. Your organisation could support workshops that we deliver that help students prepare for:
- Writing CVs and covering letters
- Interviews
- Professional behaviours / what to expect in the workplace
Throughout the year Priestley College run tailored programmes of workshops eg Level 2 progression, World of Work Week, National Apprenticeship Week.
It is possible to reach the 2,000 students to promote a wide range of opportunities. From ad-hoc, part-time and casual opportunities that will fund students through their time at Priestley and add valuable work experience to their CV through, to apprenticeships, volunteering and gap year opportunities.
Priestley hosts an annual careers fair attended by HE providers as well as employers offering apprenticeship and work experience opportunities. As part of TCAT not only would you be able to engage with our 2,000 16-19-year-olds but also pupils from our feeder secondary schools opening up the range of potential opportunities your company can promote.
T-Levels are being introduced from 2020 as a more vocationally focused choice of programme to students who have completed their GCSEs. Priestley College is one of only 50 colleges nationally who are part of the initial roll-out. These two-year programmes will initially be offered in Software Engineering and Childcare & Education. More course choices are expected to be added in the coming academic years. Delivery of T-Levels requires a positive partnership between student, college and employer. We are keen to engage with employers from the outset to:
- work collaboratively to shape the curriculum to meet skills gaps
- engage in shaping assessments to tackle real-world briefs or issues
- host extended work placements (min 45 days)
You can find out more about how employers can support T-Levels here > Employer support T-Levels
Register an expression of interest
If you would like to consider helping out in any of the ways outlined above please complete this form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
