Worcestershire is celebrating another national skills achievement after becoming the first area in the UK to successfully recruit 100% of its local secondary schools into the Careers and Enterprise Company Enterprise Adviser Network.

The Careers and Enterprise Company Enterprise Adviser Network helps to create powerful, lasting connections between local businesses and schools by bringing together company volunteers and school leadership teams to develop effective careers planning strategies for young people across the county, supporting them to leave education ready and prepared to move into the world of work.  Worcestershire is now the first region to have all of its secondary schools, Further Education colleges and Special Education Need secondary schools signed up to the initiative, helping to support schools in informing their careers advice and improving careers planning for young people across the county.

Worcestershire’s Careers and Enterprise Company forms part of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) wider Connecting Schools and Business programme which works with schools, young people and employers across the county to offer support to schools and careers professionals to understand the needs of Worcestershire’s future economy and workforce.

Claudia Harris, Chief Executive of the Careers and Enterprise Company, said: “It has been such a pleasure to work with the team at Worcestershire LEP to make this happen; and we are incredibly grateful for the support of the LEP along with the Local Authority and Chamber of Commerce. What is really evident from Worcestershire’s approach is the spirit of partnership and the seamless integration of the Careers and Enterprise Company’s offering to schools.”

Mark Stansfeld, Chair of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This is another tremendous achievement that shows Worcestershire is leading the way in providing local employers with skills that are needed for the future of business. Earlier this year, Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s research recognised Worcestershire as achieving the UK’s highest growth in Higher Level Workforce skills for the second year running and it is therefore great to see the county continue its momentum in skills provision.”

Judy Chadwick, Skills Lead for Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for our team and for the schools and businesses across Worcestershire. We are very happy to be the first region in the UK to achieve 100% coverage and we will continue to work hard to ensure that all schools, colleges and employers are working collaboratively in order to provide the most effective skills support.”

To view the work of Worcestershire’s Connecting Schools and Business Programme, follow @CSAB_Worcs on Twitter.

For further information and to get involved with the Careers and Enterprise Company programme in your local area, visit the website www.careersandenterprise.co.uk