Hereford & Worcester Education Business Link Consortium

Results of the Gateway process for schools and colleges wishing to offer the new Diplomas have recently been announced. Nationally relatively few consortia have been given permission to go ahead, however Worcestershire was particularly successful:

Worcestershire Consortia were also successful in obtaining permission to run Young Apprenticeships, with three new programmes starting in September:

“The Enterprise Game”

The EBP has purchased 20 sets of ‘The Enterprise Game’, which we are happy to loan to schools on a free-of-charge basis. The Game comes with associated instructions and a dedicated website.

Typically 5 students play this board game, 4 running their own company and 1 as banker. The aim of the Game is to run the company that has the highest value at the end. Along the way players use their skills to run a successful business - making, selling and delivering products to 24 customers around the board

Trials show that, not only does the Game help young people to unlock the secrets of a balance sheet, but that they have fun at the same time. The Game is incredibly versatile. It has been successfully played with 11 – 21 year olds. The Enterprise Game lends itself to use in lessons, utilising 5 Games with a single class, or as part of an Enterprise Day with as many as a 100 students at once around 20 different boards! Moreover, the learning that comes out of the Game directly addresses at least 3 of the QCA’s 9 elements of Work Related Learning, particularly those around Enterprise.

If you would like to make use of this exciting resource please contact Terry Owens (telephone 01905 740145), or e-mail: towens@worcestershire.gov.uk

IME (Inside Manufacturing Enterprise) Visits

We are pleased to be able to offer schools the opportunity to participate in the Inside Manufacturing Enterprise project. IME arranges visits to exemplar companies in Engineering and Manufacturing throughout the West Midlands. More than 40 host companies are willing to open their doors to allow students (14-19) to benefit from a curriculum focussed visit and to experience their manufacturing excellence—from pies to cars.
The hosts usually offer visits of around 1.5 hours on site, for groups of about 12 students, that are matched to curriculum requirements for a range of qualifications in manufacturing, engineering and design & technology. For host details please visit the IME website http://ime-wm.co.uk/education

A booking system handles the contact between host and school. If, as a teacher, you are interested in booking a visit go to the website and browse the Host list, download the Faxback Form and send it to Jane Welch at the EBP on 01905 740143, (make sure you read the Teachers Notes). If you need any further information or assistance conatct Jane Welch or Terry Owens at the EBP.

New Learning Resources

We have two new CD-ROM/DVD based learning resources available, one aimed at students undertaking Business Studies courses and the other to support the delivery of work-related learning, including Applied GCSE and vocational courses. These were developed from partnership working between schools and local businesses, supported by the EBP and with additional funding provided by the Learning and Skills Network.

The Business Studies resource includes video footage and material for classroom delivery, based on Nando’s, Worcester and was produced following a number of Professional Development Placement days held at the company.

The Morgan Motor Company DVD includes video of the production process, interviews with employees and a Central Television feature made about the company.

This have been mailed out to schools and colleges, but if you require additional copies please contact Terry Owens (telephone 01905 740145), or e-mail: towens@worcestershire.gov.uk