A £1.3 million programme – Essex Year of Opportunity – was officially unveiled at a celebratory event in Chelmsford today (4 March).
The Essex Education Task Force, funded by Essex County Council, launched the new ‘Year of’ programme at Hylands House.
Building on the success of the previous ‘Essex Year of…’ initiatives, Essex Year of Opportunity will be used to empower people of all ages to improve their skills, careers and employability.
This will be achieved by improving access to high-quality education, training and employment, building on best practice and scaling up current projects.
The council will also make targeted investments to close the current gaps between employment and education. This will enable children, young people and adults to fulfil their potential and discover the best path for them.
Around 200 people attended the special event where Oli de Botton, Chief Executive Officer of The Careers and Enterprise Company, gave a keynote speech. In it, he emphasised the benefits that collaboration between education and businesses can have for young people.
By the two sectors working together, young people can gain vital skills and experiences. Schools and colleges can access new ways of thinking and partners for their careers programmes. Employers also have the chance to support their future workforce.
Councillor Tony Ball, Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: “The Essex Year of Opportunity is a major milestone and part of our ongoing commitment to encouraging lifelong learning and skills development.
“We have made significant progress through our previous ‘Year of’ programmes. However, we know there is a still a lot of work to be done. 26% of adults in Essex have low, or no qualifications and there is an above average unemployment rate for young people aged 16 to 25-years-old.
“With significant investment, the Essex Year of Opportunity will tackle this head on. We want to raise aspirations and inspire a love for learning so that everyone in Essex has the chance to succeed regardless of their background.”
Through the Essex Year of Opportunity, Task Force and council colleagues will work closely with local businesses and other partners such as our local universities.
Councillor Louise McKinlay, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Communities, Economic Growth and Prosperity, said: “Working closely with the Essex business community will be key to the Essex Year of Opportunity. We want to better understand the skills they need from their workforce, now and in the future. We can then align this with local training opportunities and the careers support provided in schools.
“As well as raising people’s aspirations, a highly-skilled workforce will contribute to the overall economic growth of Essex. We have previously committed to driving growth by forging strong partnerships and developing policies that promote innovation and address skills shortages. Essex Year of Opportunity is one part of us delivering on that commitment.”
The Essex Year of Opportunity follows Essex Year of Reading in 2022 and the Essex Year of Numbers in 2023. Both programmes resulted in positive outcomes across the county.
The council invested over £1 million into the Essex Year of Reading. Projects engaged people of all ages and involved, among others:
a ‘Thinking Reading’ project which saw pupils gain six months’ of reading skills in two-week windows
handing out more than 160,000 free library cards to primary school pupils so that every child has access to books and could discover a love of reading
Similarly, the Essex Year of Numbers helped people gain vital numeracy skills. Highlights included:
developing a programme for Key Stage 3 pupils in Year 7 and 8 who weren’t on track to pass their GCSE
developing a financial literacy certificate with HSBC to help secondary school pupils understand their personal finances
delivering ‘Number Stacks’ in 200 primary schools, resulting in substantial gains in mathematical understanding and secondary school readiness
empowering primary school pupils to set-up an ECO Refill shop at school which helped them improve their numeracy skills
a DJ workshop where young people could gain hands-on experience and understand how basic maths is key to making music
Roy Blatchford, independent Chair of Essex Education Taskforce, said: “The Essex Education Task Force was originally set-up to support pupils whose learning had been disrupted by the pandemic. Three years on, we are proud to see how it has grown and what has been achieved through each of the ‘Year of’ programmes to date. I am so pleased to mark this exciting milestone with the announcement of Essex Year of Opportunity and another significant investment.
“We have seen the impact that targeted work to address key issues in Essex can truly have. I am excited for the coming year and urge people of all ages to get involved and take advantage of the opportunities that will be on offer.”
Planned Essex Year of Opportunity projects include:
developing a framework to embed essential skills into the curriculum and support lifelong learning
an interactive programme for Primary school children to help broaden their horizons, raise aspirations and challenge employment stereotypes
a health careers programme which will scale up initiatives and provide tailored learning and employment support in the health sector
‘Step into STEAM’ events which will offer hands-on experience for Year 6 pupils to explore local STEAM career opportunities
These projects, among others, will equip individuals with the skills, inspiration and knowledge needed for future success.
