Employability programme returns to North East schools

Building My Skills is returning to schools in the North East and Tees Valley to help showcase careers across a range of sectors.

The employability programme was first launched in 2009 by Esh Group in partnership with Ryder Architecture and Arup.

This year’s event will see 116 dedicated sessions delivered to Year 9 to 12 students from 11 local authorities in the North East and Tees Valley.

Students will attend four workshops, each delivered by a different business from a range of sectors.

This year, the programme has incorporated a purpose-built app where students can access and complete one of four digital ‘checkpoints’ after each session which will assist them when mapping out their own career aspirations. 

Corporate affairs director at Esh Group, Darush Dodds, said: “Building My Skills (BMS) is specifically designed to make young people aware of the breadth of opportunities available across the region, change their perception of different industries and lift the lid off local businesses by showcasing roles that many students don’t know exist.

“When we launched BMS in 2009, we had just five schools involved. Now, almost 15 years later, we’re close to having supported 60,000 students through the programme, all from different demographics. 

“We are thrilled to be working with some of the North East’s biggest businesses – Accenture, Northumbrian Water Group, Mediaworks, Newcastle United, Bradley Hall and CorePeople – to name just a few.”

As part of the timetable, lecture-style sessions will be delivered to an entire year group, which will provide business insight on career paths, employability skills and guidance on completing the next checkpoint.

Some 1,000 students who complete the checkpoints will be selected by teachers to attend a mock interview day in July, with business partners hosting one or more interview panels.

Dodds added: “The mock interview day is always a huge success. It provides valuable interview experiences but can open the door to second interviews for businesses who have opportunities – apprenticeships, traineeships or paid placements – available.

"We’ve already started delivery and we’re excited to see how students grow over the coming months.”