Investors in education and business partnerships award

In March 2001 South Dartmoor Community College (SDCC) gained the Education and Business Partnership (EBP) Award for `Building Effective Education and Business Links'. The careers department has spent many years developing and fostering relationships with businesses in the local community, in liaison with the Devon Education and Business Partnership, and supported by departments and teachers throughout the College. The Economics and Business team at SDCC have influenced the Post 16 provision by offering a variety of academic and vocational courses and extra curricular opportunities, but the EBP award was bestowed on the College as a result of a whole college commitment to Economic and Industrial Understanding.

ENTERPRISE

The Government are now looking at 'Enterprise' and 'Entrepreneurship' as key concepts to underpin learning across all ages and abilities as they support 'education with character'. It became apparent from the EBEA Development Conference, attended by the Enterprise Council, that enterprising activity is encouraged by many colleges throughout the range of age groups. These activities could be encouraged further with support from the local Education and Business Partnerships. EBPs can give assistance in many ways including financially, which is always an incentive.

SOUTH DARTMOOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE INVESTORS IN EDUCATION AND BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS AWARD AUDIT

South Dartmoor works closely with the local community where it has fostered strong links with people in business as well as the community as a whole.

To achieve the award the College has to produce an extensive audit of its business links which are to be found in every Department and is especially promoted throughout the Careers Education programme.

Entrepreneurs of the future are encouraged through The Real Game which was

introduced in the College in September 2000. In addition the game enhances an understanding of citizenship as well as dealing with many issues related to personal, social and moral education.

Staff and students alike benefit from the EBP's network of contacts so that everything can be provided from industrial placements for teachers to persuading a local building company to work with students solving construction problems. One such event where students helped to create a new safety manual for construction workers earned the College L150.

The College is proud of achieving the Investors in Education Partnerships in addition to its Investor in Careers Award which it has been awarded twice.

SO HOW DOES IT WORK?

From Year 7 onwards team building is evident in many of the activities undertaken. Initial contact with the Careers Education Programme is through an introduction to the Careers Library followed by an opportunity to sample careers software. At the end of the first year students are initiated into The Real Game!

In Year 8 things begin to gather momentum and students become more involved in The Real Game, forming small, cooperative communities with each student taking on the role of an independent adult who has an allocated job and who must then choose how to develop their lifestyle. This is supplemented by a day's visit to Cadbury's World to sample life in an industrial setting and to sample the goods! At the end of the year a full day is given to the NatWest Tender work simulation which involves staff from the local NatWest bank.

Year 9 were used to trial an abridged version of The Real Game in 2000 and although they only had ten hours to 'play' the lessons learned were extremely valuable. When you are 13 years old and you are made redundant your world looks set to collapse BUT when the game enable you to consider your transferable skills you can see that there are choices and a change of career may be seen as a beneficial option! This all leads into a more individualised programme where students begin to explore and manage their own career choices. During the year they visit Paignton Zoo which gives them insight into another entrepreneurial setting. The year ends with a design-based work simulation creating a new Manager's Flavour of the Month for McDonald's.

In Key Stage 4 (Years 9 and 10) students continue to work on three areas: career

exploration, career management and self-development and, at the end ofYear 10 they undertake two weeks of Work Experience which involves over two hundred employers. Before they break for the summer there is a Work Experience Conference which includes a debrief and starts preparing them for Year 11 when they are given Mock Interviews which involve over twenty interviewers from local businesses and colleges. In addition a Careers Fair is held where nearly thirty businesses, colleges and youth organisations are represented.

By the time our students compile their National Record of Achievements (NROA) they have a wealth of experiences which they can use to show their interests, skills and qualifications. The College Sixth Form has gradually increased in size and the stayon rate is now over 60% and education and business links continue for all with activities such as a Further Education/Higher Education Fair and Community Commitment which involves the wider community. For those students who choose Business courses there have been opportunities such as the Prosper Business Link E-- commerce Simulation, the Transco Business Development