Schools & Colleges - Working Options

Give your students access to industry

Partner with us to give your students access to inspiring industry led workshops, online content, industry events and the opportunity to develop
new skills.

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Partner with us

Free resources for schools and colleges

We provide your students with multiple opportunities to interact with employers, including expert insight from industry, skills workshops, online content, access to industry events, work experience and placements through our strong relationships with industry.

Kick-off your partnership with us, by booking one of our free Insights from Industry sessions (50 students minimum). We understand the pressures you’re facing, so we do all the organising for you. We provide up to three speakers from industry who share their career stories to inspire and motivate your students. We can also deliver sessions online via Zoom and MS Teams.

Get in touch

Our free active learning workshops are facilitated by business volunteers who bring them to life with real-world examples. We cover the four key skills employers are after – interviews, presentation, team-working and problem-solving. We also deliver these workshops online.

Get in touch

Our Student Zone provides resources covering a wide range of life and employability skills and career profiles. Free to access, it’s a great resource for student and teachers. Includes free lesson plans for educators.

Visit Student Zone

Every year, we invite 100+ students from our partner schools and colleges to attend our Leadership Symposium free of charge. This event attracts high profile speakers from the food, drink and retail industry and offers fantastic networking opportunities for young people.

Events

Time spent in a workplace really helps students to better understand the world of work. We encourage all our industry partners to consider the opportunities they can offer students from our partner schools and colleges.

How we support schools and colleges

Insights from Industry sessions
Employability and life skills workshops
Student Zone – free resources
Access to industry events
Workplace visits, work experience and placements

What we do

We help young people fulfil their potential

Working Options in Education helps young people (14-19) to aim high and fulfil their potential. Our employability and life skills programme is delivered free in schools, colleges and online through our well-established links with employers – particularly in the food, drink and retail industry.

We offer young people multiple interactions with employers including expert insight from industry, skills workshops, online content, access to industry events, work experience and placements.

The widening opportunity gap in employment prospects means that we particularly focus on engaging disadvantaged young people.

20,000+

young people engaged in schools, colleges and online
300+

free insights from industry sessions and skills workshops delivered
88%

students participating in our sessions feel more confident about their future.
400+

volunteers providing insights from industry
600+

students invited to high profile industry events

Success stories

Insightful and positive

” The talk yesterday was fantastic. Both speakers were very insightful and knowledgeable and I think a lot of our students really took away some positive messages from their engagement! Thank you for your help in making this happen; it was great for the students to be able to engage in such a way.”

Sixth Form Tutor
Engaging online content

“The website resources [in your Student Zone] are great and students used many aspects during their post 18 choices day last week.

Sixth Form Tutor
Access to real world experiences

“Real life stories are always more powerful than theoretical stuff. It’s always rewarding when students can see the relevance of their work being demonstrated.”

Sixth Form Tutor
Increasing confidence and self esteem

“The [Insights from Industry] session at my college showed me the motivation I needd and that no matter where I come from I can do what I want. I recently had an interview with Morrisons. I went in with my head held high and luckily I got it!”

Sixth Form Student
Valuable industry insight

“The opportunity for our students to get exposure to such industry experts was extremely valuable. They inspire our students to be proactive in both creating and taking opportuities to develop their employability skills”

Sixth Form Tutor
Building positivity

“I now have a more positive outlook on college and my future. I’ll take every opportunity that comes my way.”

Sixth Form Student

How we help

Improving employability

We’ve developed our employability and life skills programme to offer young people multiple interactions with employers,because we know there is a direct correlation to improved academic attainment and future employability. The widening opportunity gap in employment prospects means that we particularly focus on engaging disadvantaged young people.
Building confidence

We want young people to feel inspired, informed and have the skills they need for their future. Young people consistently tell us that participating in our employability and life skills programme has a positive impact on their self-esteem and confidence.
Supporting education

Our employability and life skills programme supports schools and colleges to deliver many of the employer engagement elements of the ‘Gatsby Benchmarks’ for their students.
Connecting industry

We act as a link between students and employers. We’ve developed strong links with the food, drink and retail industry in particular, because it employs 1 in 8 people in the UK in a wide range of roles and careers.

How to get your school or college involved

Check out what we can offer your students
Contact Lauren Monk on
07944 443073, lauren.monk@workingoptions.org.uk or use the form below.
We’ll be back in touch to get things rolling.

Give your students access to industry

Partner with us

Free resources for schools and colleges

How we support schools and colleges

What we do

We help young people fulfil their potential

Success stories

Insightful and positive

Engaging online content

Access to real world experiences

Increasing confidence and self esteem

Valuable industry insight

Building positivity

How we help

How to get your school or college involved

Find us on social media

Get in touch

Find us on
social media