Careers Hub
The East Sussex Careers Hub's mission is to inspire and prepare young people for the world of work. The Hub brings together 42 secondary schools, colleges and special schools, 24 primary schools, alongside employers and other partners. The Careers Hub supports schools to work towards achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks. These measure the excellence in careers provision. Find out more by reading about the national Careers Hub programme.
East Sussex Careers Hub is one of 40 across the country and is co-funded by the Careers and Enterprise Company and East Sussex County Council. Careers Hubs are key to the Government’s aims to improve careers education, as set out in the statutory guidance for schools and colleges on providing careers guidance.
Enterprise Adviser Network
Our Enterprise Advisers come from all industry sectors and professional backgrounds. Be that employed, self-employed or recently employed. They are business professionals who are willing to volunteer their time to achieve positive change.
The role involves supporting a local school or college, using core skills to create and achieve the school careers programme. Enterprise Advisers support young people by giving them the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their careers.
East Sussex has over 40 Enterprise Advisers. They receive support from the Careers Hub as well as training and networking opportunities.
Visit Become an Enterprise Adviser for further details about the role. You can also contact the Careers Hub at Enterprise.Coordinator@eastsussex.gov.uk
Industry Champions
Industry Champions are volunteers from any industry sector and any level. They come into a local school or college in East Sussex to support young people as they prepare for the world of work. The role is ideal for people who enjoy meeting pupils and talking about their industry and career journey.
Industry Champions support a variety of careers events and activities within schools and colleges. Careers events are typically in-person, but can also be virtual depending on the activity. Popular activities include:
- Career fairs
- Mock interviews
- Assembly or classroom talks
- Employer and pupil networking events
- Enterprise days
- ‘What’s My Line?’ activities
- Workplace tours and visits
- Work experience placements
Becoming an Industry Champion benefits local employers and businesses in many ways:
- Playing your part in supporting and shaping young people's careers and plans
- Raising your own brand awareness and profile in the local community
- Establishing potential links to support your own talent pipelines and future workforce
- Gaining and sharing ideas with young people in East Sussex
- Showing your commitment to social value in your local community
- Careers Professional Development for you and/or your staff
- Supporting the local business and education community
You can find out more about the Industry Champion role at Careers East Sussex.
If you would be interested in becoming an Industry Champion or have any questions, please contact the Careers Hub at Enterprise.Coordinator@eastsussex.gov.uk
Cornerstone Employers
Cornerstone Employers are ambassadors for the East Sussex Careers Hub. They promote their role to businesses to increase the number of employers supporting careers in schools and colleges. Cornerstone Employers in East Sussex provide:
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Enterprise Advisers and Industry Champions from their workforce
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Project support through wider Careers Hub initiatives
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Employer voice across the county in our work with schools and colleges.
Visit Careers East Sussex for further details about the role.
Primary Careers Hub
The Primary School Careers Hub was an East Sussex County Council one-year pilot project from 2019 to 2020. The project was funded by the Careers and Enterprise Company Primary Fund. The aim of the project was to bring about system change in careers-related learning in primary schools. This was done by raising the aspirations of students and introducing them to the world of work. 23 primary schools in East Sussex were involved in designing, testing and evaluating a range of approaches and resources. The project developed a bank of resources that now form part of a national toolkit for careers education in primary schools.
For more information and to access the resources, contact the Careers Hub at Enterprise.Coordinator@eastsussex.gov.uk
To sign up for Primary Subject Hub meetings, contact the Careers Hub at Enterprise.Coordinator@eastsussex.gov.uk
Further information linked to careers education for primary schools can be found on Careers East Sussex and Padlet.
Open Doors
Open Doors is a project run by the East Sussex Careers Hub each academic year, between October and July. The project provides young people in East Sussex with meaningful experiences of the workplace.
Local employers open up their workplaces to small groups of pupils, giving them the opportunity to explore various industry sectors in East Sussex and learn about the roles, employability skills and career pathways within the organisation.
Open Doors has helped pupils to decide their career paths and inspired them to work harder in school. It has even led to work experience placements with businesses who have hosted visits. Feedback shows that pupils find visits eye-opening and inspiring.
Employers can find out more about how the Open Doors project works using this digital guide. If your organisation would be interested in offering an Open Doors visit or has any questions, please contact the Careers Hub at OpenDoors@eastsussex.gov.uk