Employer Engagement

We are pleased to work with employers and professional practitioners to build and maintain a mutually beneficial interface with our education partners and other stakeholders. We involve professional bodies and business related organisations in much of our work. These include Sector Skills Councils, Education Business Partnerships, Employment and Skills Boards and also Business Link and Chambers of Commerce.

We support our partner institutions' employer related activities and projects and offer an effective brokerage role supporting and advising on activities being undertaken.
Recent Employer Engagement activities include:

• presentations to businesses and organisations, concentrating on our four employment sectors,
• hosting Higher Skills workshops of interest to employers,
• hosting conferences bringing together employers, academics and funding bodies,
• commissioning surveys and research regarding needs of industry,
• involving employers and practitioners in curriculum development.

Employers and practitioners may wish to offer their knowledge and expertise to our education partners to support curriculum development and delivery. Professional advice and guidance is always welcomed and plays an important role in ensuring what students learn and the qualifications they seek are relevant to the needs of industry. Apprenticeships, 14-19 Diploma courses and Foundation degrees are current areas of development both regionally and nationally.

Likewise, our universities and colleges have well established departments and business schools ready to serve the need of employers. They are able to offer courses and training programmes leading to qualifications ideally suited to all aspects of workforce development.

For more information about our Employer Engagement activities or if you wish to discuss workforce development or to become involved with one of our partners, please contact: Godfrey Smith, Development Manager, on 0118 378 2334 or email g.j.smith@reading.ac.uk