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Welcome to a new resource for all schools

Posted 17 days ago •

Looking for new resources to support assemblies, careers or business teaching?

Looking for ways to excite your students about the variety of jobs available in UK business?

Looking for real world examples of what key skills different UK companies are looking for?

Look no further! We have a new, free resource for you.

The Pertemps Network Group and the University of Wolverhampton Business School have created this resource following joint work on a Levelling Up Project Report, presented in the House of Lords, focusing on how we can excite more young people UK careers.

We have collaborated with colleagues, the  Government and three renowned companies – William Mitchell, Boots and MyPolicy – to create a series of  short videos discussing the organisations, individuals’ own career journeys and their thoughts on the skills needed to best prepare people for a full and engaging career in UK business.

Together, we created five short taster videos (no more than three minutes each) and five fuller videos (10 mins each), about the organisations, the skills needed and the career opportunities in the UK today.

We have aligned them with the curriculum and expectations for GCSE business students. 

These include:

  • using business terminology to identify and explain business activity

  • applying business concepts to familiar and unfamiliar contexts

  • developing problem solving and decision-making skills relevant to business

  • investigating analysing and evaluating business opportunities and issues

  • making justified decisions using both qualitative and quantitative data.

To accompany each full video, we have created a page of suggested short activities (attached/below) aligned to the GCSE skills expectations, to help you to get the most from them.

Here are the YouTube links to the videos:

QR Code

We hope that you will find these videos and the suggested activities documents useful and that they will inspire your students even more so into a career in UK business.

We would be very interested in your feedback – please share views on this QR code:

Or this link: https://forms.office.com/e/dc6tDbKrwe

Any questions? Please do get in touch: jenni.jones@wlv.ac.uk

Thank you

 

 

Video 1 – An introduction to the needs of UK Business

YouTube links: https://youtu.be/MWLq2NoNZhI?feature=shared

(short version – 2.04 mins)

https://youtu.be/Z7xqmxTabjU?feature=shared

(full version – 10.22 mins)

Remember: There is a full version and full BSL version, if needed – please play from start. Ends @ 10 mins.

About this video 1 (@10 mins long):

This video is an introduction to the needs of UK Businesses and some of the key skills needed.

Additional helpful resource/link:

https://www.pertemps.co.uk/clients/resource-centre/

 

Who Is On The Video?

  • Carmen Watson, Chair of the Pertemps Group
  • Rt Hon Justine Greening, Former Secretary of State for Education, Transport and International Development
  • Dr John Phillips MBE, Director of the IoD West Midlands (retired)
  • Tracy Evans, Group HR and Quality Director, Pertemps Group

Some suggested activities that align to the GCSE Business key skills:

Use business terminology to identify and explain business activity

Carmen mentions “people being the most important asset of an organisation”. What are the other assets in an organisation? Do you agree people are the most important asset?

Apply business concepts to familiar and unfamiliar contexts

Rt Hon Justine Greening mentions “businesses now stand for so much more… they are not just about earning money”. What does she mean by that? What else motivates people to work and progress?

Develop problem-solving and decision-making skills relevant to business

John mentions the need to have “inter-reliant, specialist business skills”. What do you think he means by that? Think of the different functions in an organisation, e.g. marketing, HR, finance, etc. How can they inter-connect and problem-solve together?

Investigate, analyse and evaluate business opportunities and issues

Carmen mentions that “with the economy as it is at the moment, there is a huge need for growth and prosperity”. What is happening within the UK economy at the moment? What opportunities does this provide for the UK, for businesses and for you?

Make justified decisions using both qualitative and quantitative data

Have a look at the Pertemps website https://www.pertemps.co.uk/ and see what you can find out about its history and the number of people the teams place in roles annually. Carmen mentioned employers are looking for common themes in terms of skills. Can you list 10 skills?

Additional areas to think about

Tracy mentions job descriptions. Think of the key roles you would like to work in within business (as Tracy says, it might change over time, but pick some roles you aspire to at the moment) and then go into Google to look up the jobs of your choice. You may want to check https://www.pertemps.co.uk/ as well. Use the search bar to look for this type of job, then click on the headings to see what key responsibilities and personal attributes/skills are needed.

Video 2 – an introduction to William Mitchell, part of the Rical Group

YouTube links - https://youtu.be/kSjXAsk9740?feature=shared

(short – 2.45 mins)

https://youtu.be/MHx5uVMYroQ?feature=shared

(full – 6.57 mins)

Remember: There is a full version and full BSL version, if needed. Please play from @ 10 mins in if so.

Additional helpful resource/link: https://www.wmclgroup.co.uk/ (William Mitchell Group) and

https://backingbritain.com/news/200-years-of-manufacturing-and-made-in-the-midlands

 

About this video (@7 mins long):

This video is an introduction to William Mitchell team discussing career journeys and key skills.

Who is on this video:

  • Howard Nuttall, General Manager, William Mitchell
  • Gaby Mach, Manufacturing Manager
  • Keiran Murphy, Toolmaker and PM Supervisor
  • Dawn Robbins, HR & Finance
  • Lukasz Siwiec, Junior Quality Engineer

Some suggested activities that align to the GCSE Business key skills:

Use business terminology to identify and explain business activity

Kieran and Dawn mention BTECs. What does this stand for? Keiran also mentions doing an apprenticeship and having placements. What do you think are the advantages of doing an apprenticeship? See if you can find one in your area of interest via https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/

Apply business concepts to familiar and unfamiliar contexts

Howard mentions the term ‘glass ceiling’ – what does this term mean? See if you can find out more about this term. One aspect to support employees through any ‘glass ceiling’ is training – this is something mentioned by all in this video. What training do you think a manager might need to have here?

Develop problem-solving and decision-making skills relevant to business

Gaby mentions moving through the business in various roles, since joining in 2000. See if you can list all the roles she mentioned and think about the key skills you think she will have needed to develop to get where she is today.

Investigate, analyse and evaluate business opportunities and issues

Howard mentions some of the big names they supply to, e.g. Makita and Black + Decker. Look up their websites and see what opportunities they have available. Look up the William Mitchell website for their opportunities too; https://www.wmclgroup.co.uk/

Make justified decisions using both qualitative and quantitative data

Howard mentions they supply the automotive industry, especially Ford. Can you remember what percentage of their products go to Ford? He also mentioned they ship their products around the world. What countries did he mention? What do you think might be some of the barriers to shipping to the BRIC economies, like Brazil?

Additional areas to think about

All of those on the video shared some advice to their younger sel. Some of these were about developing key knowledge, skills and behaviours. Which of these are already strengths for you? What top tips can you take rom this video?

Video 3 – An introduction to Boots

YouTube links - https://youtu.be/tPpVP7zfaqw?feature=shared

(short – 2.11 mins)

https://youtu.be/y3Ym2VG4azw?feature=shared

(full – 8.16 mins)

 

Remember: There is a full version and full BSL version, if needed. Please play from @ 16 mins in, if so.

Additional helpful resource/link: https://www.boots.com/

About this video (@8 mins long):

This video is an introduction to the Boots team discussing career journeys and key skills.

Who is on this video:

  • Eddie Storr, Logistics Director
  • Kenny Rose, Engineering
  • Aleksandra Bernacik, Team Manager and Lurrel Wilson, Warehouse Operative/Super User
  • Ahmed Ahmed, Jambuster and Tiberiu Ichim, Control

Some suggested activities that align to the GCSE Business key skills:

Use business terminology to identify and explain business activity

Eddie mentioned ‘supply chain’. What does this term mean in the context of Boots? What and who will be involved in Boots supply chain, do you think? Boots is a 175-year-old business. How do you think the supply chain has changed over time?

Apply business concepts to familiar and unfamiliar contexts

Ahmed, Lurrel and Tiberiu mention the importance of team work and taking up the offer of training and support. Lurrel also mentioned the Kickstart scheme. What is this? Also, look above at the unfamiliar job titles. Super User and Jambuster. See if you can find out what they mean within the context of Boots.

Develop problem-solving and decision-making skills relevant to business

Eddie mentions “during the pandemic, I got lots of opportunities to try to problem solve lots of challenges”. What do you think these may have been and what skills were needed to overcome them?

Investigate, analyse and evaluate business opportunities and issues

Mark mentions the need to “have that desire to succeed and make every day a better day”. How can everyone ensure this is the case in their job? How can this be measured and evaluated?

Make justified decisions using both qualitative and quantitative data

Eddie mentions 60,000 employees. Later, it is mentioned they use recruitment agencies to help them recruit into new roles. Aleksandra mentioned she joined as agency staff first of all. What are the advantages and disadvantages to a business of using agency staff, do you think? What are the advantages and disadvantages to employees?

Additional areas to think about

All of those on the video shared their journies to their current job. Some of these were about the Kickstart scheme, joining as agency staff and/or being part of an apprenticeship scheme. Which of these have you already thought about for you? What top tips can you take away from this video?

Video 4 – An introduction to MyPolicy

YouTube links - https://youtu.be/4Fb6vJh7ziA?feature=shared

(Short – 2.11 mins)

https://youtu.be/7zH13Qmqtac?feature=shared

(full – 6.28 mins)

Remember: There is a full version and full BSL version. If needed, please play from @ 24 mins in.

Additional helpful resource/link: https://www.mypolicy.co.uk/

About this video (@6 mins long):

This video is an introduction to the MyPolicy team discussing career journeys and key skills.

Who is on this video:

  • Amy Rushton, Operations Manager
  • Tarlochan Dosanjh, Human Resources
  • Brooke Dunn, Lead Trainer

Some suggested activities that align to the GCSE Business key skills:

Use business terminology to identify and explain business activity

Amy mentions having mentors along her career journey. What do you think mentors do? How do you think they have helped Amy? Could you think about finding one for yourself?

Apply business concepts to familiar and unfamiliar contexts

Tarlochan mentions working as a volunteer before going to university. What do you think are the benefits of volunteering? What do you think are the key skills that can be gained from volunteering that can be used in business contexts?

Develop problem-solving and decision-making skills relevant to business

Brooke mentions learning soft skills and system knowledge. What do you think is meant by soft skills and system knowledge, and how do they relate to problem-solving and decision-making?

Investigate, analyse and evaluate business opportunities and issues

Amy mentions starting out working at PwC (Price Waterhouse Coopers). P of the consultant role there is to work with businesses to analyse, evaluate and offer solutions to increase their performance. Find out more here - https://www.pwc.co.uk/

Make justified decisions using both qualitative and quantitative data

Amy mentions that their Telematic Smart Boxes collect data on how safely their customers are driving. What sort of statistics do you think are gathered to determine their driving? How do you think this is analysed? By whom?

Additional areas to think about

All of those on the video shared their journey to their current job and they all shared advice to young people. Which of these have you already thought about for you? What top tips can you take away from this video?

Video 5 – Concluding video

YouTube links - https://youtu.be/wfuiGPPpoSg?feature=shared

(short – 2.52 mins)

https://youtu.be/LTJq3vhzgdY?feature=shared

(full – 9.40 mins)

Remember: There is a full version and full BSL version, if needed. If using, please play from @ 30 mins in.

Additional helpful resource/link:

https://www.wlv.ac.uk/schools-and-institutes/faculty-of-artsbusiness-and-social-sciences/university-of-wolverhampton-business-school/

About this video (@10 mins long):

This video is the concluding one discussing the evolving business landscape and next steps.

Who is on this video:

  • Lord Walney, Engagement Director at The Purpose Coalition
  • Carmen Watson, Chair of the Pertemps Group
  • Tracy Evans, Group HR and Quality Director, Pertemps Group
  • Amanda Ross, Ahecia Taylor and Joshua Whale, Senior Lecturers, University of Wolverhampton
  • Amy Rushton, Operations Manager

Some suggested activities that align to the GCSE Business key skills:

Use business terminology to identify and explain business activity

Carmen mentions businesses and skills are “evolving”, and she uses computers and AI as an example. What key opportunities does the ever-evolving digital landscape bring for UK businesses and you as employees?

Apply business concepts to familiar and unfamiliar contexts

Tracy mentions “industry bodies”, Ahecia mentions “networking with industry professionals” and Carmen mentions “putting the feelers out”. What type of industry or role are you keen to explore in the future? What are the industry bodies? How might you network?

Develop problem-solving and decision-making skills relevant to business

Amanda mentions “problem-solving skills in a complex and changing dynamic environment”. What does she mean by this? Can you give an example of how this may affect the businesses in the three videos, namely William Mitchell, Boots and MyPolicy?

Investigate, analyse and evaluate business opportunities and issues

Lord Walney mentions “that we haven’t been growing our economy as fast as we should have been” and, as such, some areas are feeling left behind. Which areas of the UK have been left behind? What is the Government doing to address this? What more is there to do?

Make justified decisions using both qualitative and quantitative data

Ahecia says “embrace the journey and get ready to succeed”. What information do you need now to make informed decisions about your future career within UK business?

Additional areas to think about

All of those on the videos shared advice for getting started. Which of these have you already thought about for you? Have you thought about university? What top tips can you take away from this?