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Craig McNally, Community Partnerships Manager at London North Eastern Railway (LNER), discusses his experiences of engaging in education through curriculum led activities including top tips on what can make engagement with employers more meaningful and effective.

As Commnity Partneships Manager, Craig helps to deliver the Community Investment Strategy through charitable and community relationships, education outreach and volunteering.

What types of careers education activities have you been involved in?

LNER have been actively involved in various careers and educational activities from participating in careers fairs, leading assessment centers and employability workshops, to delivering insight visits and more bespoke projects involving behind the scenes tours and even the odd trip on a train.

Why do LNER want to work with students on careers education activities? 

We find engaging with students through curriculum led activities particularly valuable for helping make the link between what students learn in school and how those learnings apply to the world of work. Focusing engagement through the curriculum can also help to unlock awareness to hidden careers in the (rail) industry by making links to the not so obvious roles for example in digital, marketing and infrastructure. 

In addition to this, a specific business opportunity for us when engaging in careers education is to raise awareness of careers (in rail), inspire a future talent pipeline and reach a diverse audience. From a social value perspective, we also think it is important to raise the aspirations of young people and show that there are many different pathways into a successful career. 

Employer Engagement: Effective Planning

When starting to work with educators to plan activity, how far in advance do you need to be asked to become involved? 

The sooner the better! A few months’ notice/ 4- 6 weeks is good, to allow enough time to plan what is to be delivered, to secure availability in diaries and work around the needs of the business and our day jobs. Demands of the business can change quickly, however we will always do our best to support where possible.

What type of information about students would be beneficial to know from educators before delivery?

Ideally it would be good to know in advance so we can ensure engagement is as effective and meaningful as possible:

• What year group are involved and what age are the students?
• How many students are going to be involved?
• Is there any additional information that would be helpful to know e.g., high % of EAL learners (to adapt language if necessary), accessibility requirements (particularly important for site visits), additional educational requirements (where specific delivery types might be more suitable)?
• What ability are the students (this helps us to know what level to pitch content at)?

What type of information about the subject/ curriculum would be beneficial to know from educators before delivery?

This guidance from educators helps us to shape what we deliver. 

Ideally it would be good to know:

• How our involvement links to the curriculum/ subject area?
• Is there any specific vocabulary linked to the subject to include?
• Most importantly, what are the intended outcomes of what we are delivering? 

What type of logistical information would be beneficial to know from educators before delivery?

Ideally it would be good to know:

• How will activity be delivered, is it virtual, face to face or even blended?
• When is the preferred time for activity to be delivered (times and length)? Does this leave enough time for lead in (4-6 weeks preferably)? 
• Where is the school and will there be a main point of contact for us in school when we arrive? 
• Where will the activity be delivered (classroom, hall etc.)?
• If attending school on site, do volunteers need to be DBS checked?
• If we are having students at one of our sites, do we need to provide educators with specific information for a risk assessment?

What is your main top tip to educators for making engagement as meaningful as possible?

Have an early conversation with your business partner and discuss what the purpose and intended outcomes of the partnership are. Try to provide as much information as possible so that together with partners you can ensure whatever is delivered is the right fit for the learners and achieves the desired outcomes.