Taking tips from the US on skills gap
Business editor EFFORTS to tackle the skills gap in the North East have seen the region look across the Atlantic to a project that has transformed the education system in one American city.
Nashville, Tennessee, is best known for being the country music capital of the world.
But it has also captured headlines in recent years for an education programme that has seen businesses working with schools closer than ever before to make sure that school leavers have the skills they need and the school curriculum is aligned with the highly-skilled jobs of the future.
The Ford Next Generation Learning programme has been credited with improving graduating rates in Nashville to such an extent that $100m has been added to the city’s economy. Schools involved in the scheme went from being some of the lowest performing in the US to some of the highest in terms of attainment and attendance.
Now elements of the programme are to be introduced to three schools on Tyneside after a team from the North East LEP teamed up with the Edge Foundation and visited the American city to see it at work.
It is hoped that the programme will repeat the success of another educational scheme pioneered in recent years by the LEP, the Gatsby good careers guidance programme.
The Gatsby programme involved 16 schools in the North East each having a dedicated careers leader to ensure students have access to the best careers support, giving them the best possible start to their professional life.
The programme – which has been described as “transformational” by some of the schools taking part – was judged such a success in the North East that it is now being rolled out nationwise as the main plank of the Government’s careers guidance strategy.
Neil Willis, project manager for the Education Challenge at the North East LEP, has been involved in both schemes and recently visited Nashville to see which parts of the US scheme can be used in the North East.
He said: “Each of the three schools will have what we’re calling an industry alignment manager, whose role is to work with teachers to build engagement with employers. Those links mean the businesses can link directly into the curriculum and not only put it into a real world context but also address the skills needs they have.
“All schools engage with employers but this takes it to a different level and one of the key elements of this work will be having a really clear focus on developing the skills these companies need and getting the students prepared for the better jobs of the 21st century.
“In the 10 years this has been running in Nashville, they’ve seen a huge jump in school attentance, an increase in graduation rates and a real economic impact for the city.”
The scheme will start in three North East schools – Excelsior Academy in Newcastle, and Nor-