We are developing our Business in Schools initiative. We'd like your ideas to help develop it.
Posted by: Eleanor Sturdy | 09.12.2008 06:32pm
The best partnerships between business and schools have staff at each end who deeply understand the goals of the two organisations, plus the limitations of both (ie quite senior level). Teachers may not always speak the same language as business people and so this bridging function is vital in translating and managing expectations. Well organised acitivities from volunteer reading groups through to mentoring teachers and Heads all require good co-ordination and facilitation, which these bridging staff need to be good at. Also, they play a role in creating trust between the two, as schools may lack confidence and businesses may be unrealistic, leading to overly high expectations that don't get realised. In the first instance, I think schools need to ask themselves exactly why they want the business involvement, and what they don't want from it. This clarity will help when getting into discussions. Businesses need to start small with some pilot activities and be realistic about the impact - this will be a cost to them but brings intangible benefits and social responsibility that employees value. The best mentoring schemes, for example, provide enormous developmental opportunity for the business people involved as they have to learn versatile communication skills in order to keep going. Businesses need to permit their staff to do certain activities, regularly, so that they don't experience a conflict of interest when trying to get to a school-based activity. I could say more, this is a very complex field.