See It Be It in Sheffield
Sheffield City Council’s See it Be it in Sheffield campaign aims to inspire the next generation by linking up schools and colleges with local employers to provide meaningful encounters and experiences of the workplace.
Inspiring the next generation
Sheffield City Council’s See it Be it in Sheffield campaign aims to inspire the next generation by linking up schools and colleges with local employers to provide meaningful encounters and experiences of the workplace.
Background
Sheffield Business Together (SBT) has been partnering with the See it Be it in Sheffield campaign since 2019beginning with an initiative with Sheffield Park Academy and Longley Park College to support careers education activities in areas of low social mobility.
In 2022, the partnership was extended via the Levelling up Futures in Sheffield (LUFiS) programme with the two organisations partnering on the Social Mobility in Education strand to work with a further 15 schools and colleges in areas of disadvantage
The project was a huge success thanks to its innovative approach to cross-sector working and the time and efforts of all the volunteers involved, with 619 volunteers from 152 different employers giving 2,160 hours to support 7,220 students over the course of the year, with activities such as mock interviews, careers talks, careers in the curriculum sessions and workplace visits.
To see the impact we have had on the LUFiS programme, watch this short video
How does it work?
Taking on board feedback from our work together over the years, we know that employers want a single point of contact, super easy process and want to avoid duplication. We have therefore agreed that Sheffield Business Together and the See It Be It team will continue to work in partnership to deliver the See it Be it programme in special schools and those in areas of low social mobility.
We each play to our strengths with the See it Be it team’s Enterprise Coordinators engaging Careers Leaders in schools and colleges to determine needs, and then through our respective networks we will broker opportunities with employers to ensure students are receiving quality employer encounters, helping to raise their aspirations, and making them aware of the opportunities available to them in this city.
How can I get involved?
All members of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce can access this brokering service, as well as support to prepare you for opportunities, so if you are looking to develop your talent pipeline, improve diversity in your recruitment, promote entry-level roles at your business, or simply give back to the local community, we can help.
We have opportunities for everyone, whether you have just half an hour to give for an online talk or video, a couple of hours to get involved in an employability skills session, half a day to do some mock interviews, or even want something ongoing like mentoring or providing strategic support to a school or college.
If you want to get involved just drop us a line on seeitbeit@sheffield.gov.uk
