Yr 10 students from Stroud schools get to work with local employers

GFirst LEP teamed up a number of employers in the county to work with Year 10 students in Stroud schools to help young people increase their confidence and enhance their employability skills by getting to grips with work-related challenges.

GFirst LEP teamed up a number of employers in the county to work with Year 10 students in Stroud schools to help young people increase their confidence and enhance their employability skills by getting to grips with work-related challenges.

By working with leading employers in Gloucestershire, students from Archway, Maidenhill, Rednock and Thomas Keble schools were invited to participate in a number of exciting work related projects that ranged from designing a mobile application for a Skate Park to designing a mobile phone case and coaster from high quality waste products.

Employers involving  WSP Textiles Ltd, Delphi UK, Renishaw, Alvin Creighton and Ingenuity Testing Systems each worked with students from a designated school to come up with an innovative work related design type challenge. In some cases, students were able to learn about science and technology and put into practice their newly acquired business knowledge such as the students from Maidenhill School who raised money for the RSPCA from a cake, biscuit and ice cream sale at their school.

Julie Collins, Education Liaison Executive Renishaw PLC said: “The project has been successful and we are really pleased with the outcomes. 

“The project was originally set up with GFirst LEP to improve the students’ confidence in learning, expose them to new subject areas and enhance their employability. Not only have these outcomes been met, we have observed a general increase in confidence, enthusiasm and team working skills. We’re delighted that all of the students that participated said they would recommend other Year 10 students to do the project.”

David Owen, Chief Executive, GFirst LEP added: “It’s brilliant to see such active participation from employers across the county to get involved in this type of project. The project really stretched the imagination of the students and I am sure that each individual has benefitted enormously in terms of building confidence and awareness of real business issues.

“Part of our Strategic Growth Plan in Growing Gloucestershire is all about ensuring young  people in the county have the right skills to meet the needs of growing businesses across the area.

This project will certainly aid their transition from school to work or college and I’m hoping that a future generation of entrepreneurs will be inspired as a result to start up their own businesses in Gloucestershire to aid economic growth.”