By John Lomas, Employer Engagement Project Lead, ASCL Associates member, and former senior leader.

Picture the scene, a Friday Year 10 middle ability maths lesson on algebra. The teachers is trying hard to engage the pupils, who are well meaning, when one confident individual raises their hand and asks, “When are we ever going to need this in real life?” The default response is often, “You’ll need it for your GCSEs.” This, of course, leads to the inevitable follow-up “But why is it even in the exams?” The teacher could say that it is necessary to access maths beyond this level. At this point, the relevance of the topic can be lost on many pupils.

Seeing beyond exams
To address this issue, schools in the Solent region are connecting with local businesses through the Employer Engagement Project (EEP). Current visits by employers, though welcome, often interrupt the flow of GCSE lessons or take part in the non-academic part of the curriculum. The aim of my Employer Engagement Project is to help pupils understand how what they learn in the classroom is relevant to the world of work. This in turn can support re-engagement, focus and a deeper understanding of curriculum areas.

The project, funded by the Hearn Foundation until July 2026, is free for schools. EBP South connects schools with employers to arrange the sessions and capture impact making it easy for teachers and employers to take part.

The project is designed to dovetail into subject content and to link the relevance of what pupils are learning in their lessons to the jobs market. It makes it easy for employers to engage with young people in a way that allows them to support the curriculum without it being onerous for busy heads of subjects.

How the project works
Each session lasts 50-60 minutes, including pre and post-session evaluations, and is aimed to be delivered to individual classes. The sessions also include time for the pupils to ask further questions about the company, roles, values and pathways but are seen as a subject lesson not a careers lesson.

While the primary focus is on maths and English lessons, there are also sessions in design and technology, geography, and modern foreign languages. Lessons highlight the key employability skills valued by businesses in the region, based on the Employable Me framework. 

To date, the project has reached over 7,500 pupils across more than 280 lessons, with 16 committed employers currently involved, and others in the pipeline. Feedback from both schools and businesses has been captured via easy-to-read post-session infographics, which help track impact and improve delivery. 

The curriculum and assessment review due to be published in the autumn, suggests ‘evolution not revolution’. Early indications are that change would be gradual, being aware that teachers ‘need room to breathe’. So, it is likely there will still be a need for this project. Recently, on Radio 4’s Today programme Lord Blunkett (Education Secretary 1997- 2001) suggested that clearer pathways are needed. Exams will very likely be here to stay as they are seen to be the most accurate and fair system. He suggested that there is a need to link what pupils are studying at 15-16 with the world of work to bring alive the subject areas. Look no further.

Find out more
We are happy to share the ideas learned from my project with other areas of the country and if you would like to find out more about the Employer Engagement Project or get involved, please contact enquiries@ebpsouth.co.uk or call 02392 283400 for more information.