It has been less than two months, yet Cumbria’s Enterprise Adviser Network is making great strides recruiting schools and businesses to work together.

Melanie Carr from Inspira is the Enterprise Coordinator, she started in June. Inspira manages and delivers the contract on behalf of the Careers Enterprise Company and the Cumbria LEP.

The aim of the project is to build a network of Enterprise Advisers, volunteers from the world of work who will work directly with school and college leaders to bridge the gap between the worlds of education and employment.  The Advisers will be responsible for helping schools and colleges build careers and enterprise and employer engagement plans drawing on their own local business networks. They will be supported by Mel who has simple tools available to lay out the range of programmes available to schools and colleges nationally and locally, for example speakers in schools, CV and skill building, work experience. The Enterprise Adviser network will help ‘join the dots’ at a local level and increase coverage across the country.

Initially Mel Carr will  work with 20 schools and colleges around Cumbria who will be carefully matched to an Enterprise Adviser over the summer holidays, activity will begin when schools return in September.

A number of schools across the County have already come on board, while businesses are being recruited over the summer months.

The Careers and Enterprise Company is an employer-led organisation that has been set up by the Government to inspire and prepare young people for the fast-changing world of work. Its role is to take an umbrella view of the landscape of careers and enterprise, supporting programmes that work, filling gaps in provision and ensuring coverage across the country.

Inspira are now recruiting two Enterprise Coordinators to work across Lancashire, to find out more about these exciting new roles please take a look at our jobs page.