Continuing the work developed through the Schools Enterprise and Education Network (SEEN), the Specialist Schools and Academy Trust (SSAT) has been successful in its bid to the Department for Children, Schools and Families to take enterprise education within schools to an exciting and challenging new era. The programme will create a number of Enterprise Learning Partnerships across the region.
The vision for this new ‘enterprise network’ is to:
- add value to already existing enterprise education initiatives
- to support all sectors of education 5-19
- to improve both the quality and quantity of enterprise education in England
- and to have a positive impact on learners.
Enterprise Learning Partnerships (ELPs) will be set up to cover 150 Local Authority areas across England. Each ELP will be made up of primary schools, secondary schools, special schools and FE providers, covering a geographical spread across the region. There is a dedicated website (www.enterprisevillage.org.uk) aimed at sharing best practice and becoming a “one-stop shop” for all those with an interest in enterprise education. A main theme of the new website is also to launch a National Career and Professional Development programme aimed at offering free enterprise resources and training opportunities for primary, secondary and tertiary schools to take advantage of.
Funding for the programme runs until the 31st March 2010 in the first instance, with a possible extension to 31st March 2011.
Across the East Midlands, there will be five Enterprise Learning Partnerships – Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire & Rutland. Each ELP will be given funding to support the enterprise journey of 5-19 year olds within their geographical sphere of influence. The vision for the network is to build upon the previous phase and to expand and widen existing local networks relating to enterprise education, with their aim being to support the 5-19 enterprise agenda.
In Lincolnshire and Rutland, Yarborough School in Lincoln have been successful in their bid to form an Enterprise Learning Partnership and have brought together a number of schools and organisations including the Lincolnshire/Rutland Education and Business Partnership to form a Board with the aim of improving enterprise education across the area. “This is an exciting time for enterprise across the country” says Katie Vause, the regional enterprise coordinator for the East Midlands. “The new Enterprise Network offers the opportunity for all schools to become involved in creating exciting enterprise learning opportunities for their young learners providing them with new skills and knowledge to help prepare them for the world of work or higher education.”
To ensure that the work of the ELP is “joined up” with Unleashing Enterprise, Katie will sit on the UE Steering Group. As well as tracking the progress of the programme via the Enterprise Village website, we will also be assessing how implementation work progresses on Unleashing Enterprise.
For further information about the ELP programme contact:
Katie Vause – kv@yarborough.lincs.sch.uk