Ladder for the Black Country: Vital work of volunteer advisors

Each day people from across the UK use their professional skills and knowledge to make a difference through volunteering. Many employers also support their staff to give back to their communities through volunteering and businesses provide vital support to the work of the voluntary sector.

The Ladder for the Black Country wants to recognise the continued contributions of skilled and employer supported Enterprise Advisors (EA’s) that volunteer to work in local schools.

The Black Country Enterprise Advisors network was five years old in January and during this time more than 250 EAs have volunteered their services to support careers activities for young people aged 11 to 18 across the Black Country.

The Black Country Skills Factory continues to work with The Careers and Enterprise Company to roll out this national initiative, working with 115 secondary schools, colleges, SEND and AP across the Black Country.

Despite the restrictions coronavirus has placed on our daily lives, EAs have been active throughout lockdowns and new waves of restrictions.

Events

The Ladder wants to recognise all of those who have continued delivering work, many from home, to support young people. Between April 2020 and April 2021, 78 events were organised across the Black Country, involving the support of 125-plus partners and more than 500 volunteers which have reached 54,000 young people, parents and carers.

Some of the EAs have given over five years’ service and new ones are encouraged to join each year to offer schools diversity and additional support. EA’s work strategically with schools but also delivered mock interviews, careers talks and mentoring; they work alongside teachers in the classroom and delivered enterprise challenges and so much more.

During the 37th annual Volunteers Week and during the Month of Community, the Ladder believes it's time to say: thank you volunteers!

So why do EAs do what they do?

Adam Harris, a long-term EA, said: “I believe that school children of all ages should have an insight into the world of work. In the Black Country we are surrounded by industry that is not promoted in schools, this has led to a massive skills gap for certain industries and also a high number of missed opportunities for the pupils that could have left school and gone into work-based training.

"It is heavily publicised that as many as 80 per cent of school leavers in the Black Country will not go onto higher education, this doesn’t mean that they will not go on to have a successful career only that their success will take a very different route, normally one of that involves a lot of on-the-job learning and skills development.

"Through lack of interest at school, I left school without the GSCE’s I could have achieved. After leaving school I decided that I did not want to enter further education and went straight into employment for an office admin role.

"That was 16 years ago, and I am now the owner and MD of that same company. I use my story to positively influence, in particular, the path young people chose from school to employment. “

Halisha Kaur said: “I started volunteering in an EA role as a recent graduate, wanting to support young students going through the walk of life that I had recently experienced myself. Growing up in the Black Country, I understand the diversity of our pupils and the vast range of life experiences that children and young adults are exposed to growing up and being a strong believer in equal opportunities for all, I feel honoured to be in a position where I can support our next generation of the work force to ensure their aspirations are fulfilled and their differences are celebrated.”

Why should others become an EA?

Steve Cox, a long term EA, said: “It’s a very rewarding role if you want to bring your experience to bear with helping young people find their way into the careers of the future. The jobs market, and the careers that go with it, are changing at such a fast pace that it’s now more vital than ever that schools get input from those who see the needs and trends associated with that pace of change so that their students are making the most informed choices about what career path they choose to follow.”

Halisha Kaur said: “Working as an EA is an extremely uplifting and rewarding experience, that has given me a peek through a huge window that is our education system. I have worked alongside some extremely motivated and supportive teachers and met some brilliant students who I have watched take their first steps into careers and universities. Nothing is more amazing than watching a child/young adult achieve the ambitions they had set out to achieve and being a small part of their journey is an honour in itself.”