Education Business Partnerships

Education Business Partnerships (EBPs) have been established throughout the UK over the last ten years.

They promote links between businesses and schools to improve collaboration and understanding, and to enable young people to gain experience in and awareness of the world of work.

The Case Study that follows gives an example of how an EBP can initiate education-business links in a local community.

Business Links in Brockworth:

Wincanton Logistics, Brockworth, Nr Gloucester links to:

• Castle Hill Primary School, Brockworth
• Brockworth School

Wincanton requested a meeting with the EBP following receipt of invitations to some of our events. They wanted to know more about what we did, and wanted to be involved more with the local community - in particular schools in Brockworth.

After the initial meeting in October 2000, during which the EBP outlined various ways in which the company could develop links, the EBP then went to talk to the Head of Castle Hill Primary, Sue Rowlinson, to suggest ways in which Wincanton could help support the school.

Two programmes of interest to both parties were:

• Reading Partners initiative
• Work-related activity at Wincanton for Year 6 children

Sue Rowlinson then visited Peter Rothwell-Jackson at Wincanton to discuss things in more detail, and view the site to assess its potential for supporting curriculum topics. Shortly after, Peter visited the school. From there a date was arranged where the 30 children from Year 6 could spend the day at Wincanton, carrying out various tasks to support their work in school. This happened on 19 January 2001. Children were set maths, geography, biology and science challenges, all facilitated by Wincanton staff at the Brockworth site. These ranged from planning transport routes, to working out the weights of vehicles, to learning how to lift properly by operating a model of the human skeleton.

These tasks were planned by teachers from the school, in conjunction with Wincanton staff. Since then, several staff have volunteered for a Reading Partners programme at the school, and contacts have continued with Wincanton staff visiting the school.

For the future, Wincanton has employees interested in becoming mentors for teenagers at Brockworth School, and this link is to be developed in the near future. Richard Giddy from Brockworth School has already visited the site and seen the potential for future activity. The Mentoring programme will help them develop sustainable links.

Initially, it was thought that it would be better to build links with one primary school, plus the secondary (to start small and then build gradually). However, Brockworth Primary School has now heard all about the good things going on with Castle Hill and also wants to be involved!

This is a good example of how an EBP can bring schools and business together through encouraging participation in its programmes and curriculum support activity.

For more details about the work of Education Business Partnerships locally, please contact:

Education & Business in Partnership
Gloucester, Cheltenham & The Cotswolds: Heather Lee - 01242 676908
Forest of Dean: Ros Daniels - 01594 545394