This simple how-to guide for helping to design a course will help you get the most from your involvement. You can use this resource at any stage of your engagement journey, whether you have existing links with a college or intend to make new connections.
Employer input can add real industry relevance to educational programmes, bringing the curriculum to life and enhancing the skills being taught to young people. You can support teachers to develop their skills and knowledge in a range of ways, from giving feedback on the curriculum content, to co-designing courses, specialist lessons or workshops.
Your involvement helps ensure that courses meet the needs of industry, and can help your staff to develop their own project management and evaluation skills.
Watch the case study video, and read on to find out more…
How to maximise your involvement
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Identify key benefits and objectives
Identify why you want to help design this course. Is it to train employees, upskill your industry’s current or future workforce, or showcase the expertise in your business? What will the benefits be for your business, and for the teachers and students you are working with?
Recognising what you would like to achieve can help shape your conversations with colleges. At this stage, it can be worth doing some initial research to identify what courses or qualifications, such as Apprenticeships, T Levels or Skills Bootcamps, already exist in your area.
Once you've connected, make sure to share your key ideas and objectives with the school or college, so they can help align what you want as a business with your proposed course, and the existing course landscape.
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Connect with a school or college
Finding the right school or college to work with is important. You may have already been approached by one, or might have existing links through previous work or people you know. If not, you may want to work with a local school college or one that specialises in your industry.
If you are not already in touch with your preferred school or college, you can reach out to them to get things started. Key contact details can often be found on the college website.
The Head of Engineering and Manufacturing (or their equivalent) would be a good first contact, as they will have the best knowledge of what their subject teachers need. If you don’t have their contact details, you could reach out directly to the Principal or a senior leader such as an Assistant or Vice Principal of Technical Education or Curriculum.
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Develop the course
Your expert input will help to develop any new course content, assessments and supporting learning materials to reflect the best practice in industry. You may be asked for views on course delivery models, scheduling, assessment windows and whether certification or accreditation is needed.
Make sure to agree key roles and responsibilities, including time commitments, communication frequency and the level of your involvement – including whether someone from your business will deliver any elements of the course directly. Following these conversations, you may decide to create a new technical course, add content to an existing course or adapt one to better suit your industry.
The content of the course and the way it will be delivered is often referred to as the curriculum.
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Plan your publicity
A big benefit of working with a school or college is that it can generate really positive news for your business. Agreeing a strategy early on will help ensure that all the appropriate permissions in place, and that everyone is sending out a consistent message.
The marketing team for the school or college could help devise a social media plan, create articles for newsletters, or even generate local media coverage. You may also have contacts and channels to help get the message out.
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Deliver the course
Following your earlier discussions, you should have a delivery plan in place and know the level of your involvement. You, or others from within your business, may need to attend meetings or facilitate some teaching to support delivery of the course.
You may have also agreed to offer additional resources, to help maximise the benefits of your course. This could include elements such as workshops, tools or access to specialist equipment. If so, make sure this has been factored into your plans accordingly, including any health, safety or insurance requirements.
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Review and feedback
When the course has been delivered, evaluate success against your initial objectives. Reflect on what worked well or could be improved for future courses. Think about what feedback you could give the college, teachers and students involved, and how this could help them to meet their aims.
You should also think about any other ways you’d like to get involved with supporting teachers and students – could you donate equipment, host a T Level industry placement or recruit an apprentice?
