Collaboration Brings Positive Employment Outcomes For Students

July 08, 2011 (Press-News.org) The Reed NCFE Partnership will offer a service package to colleges which will equip students for today's challenging labour market, helping them secure valuable employment and tracking their progress after college.

The new Partnership has been greatly encouraged by feedback from discussions with a number of leading colleges across the UK who confirmed that the aims and objectives of the partnership meet their own.

Crucially, it is also very much in line with the Government's strong focus on evidencing positive employment outcomes for students, which will affect funding for education institutions in the near future. One of the key innovations will be to offer colleges an efficient destination tracking service delivering valuable careers information about students.

The need to ensure that learners have every opportunity to move quickly and smoothly into the jobs market is clear from the latest figures according to the Office for National Statistics. The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in May rose by 19,600 to 1.49 million. The jobless rate among 16 to 24-year-olds is 19.4%.

The model that the two organisations have developed provides learners with the Reed NCFE Level 1, 2 and 3 Awards in Job Search and Interview Skills. This can be further reinforced by a tailored programme of student and employer engagement, employment consultation, job brokerage, careers advice and work experience.

Tom Millar, Director of Skills and Business Support, Reed in Partnership, said: "We believe the collaboration between NCFE and ourselves will equip students to succeed when taking the step from learning into work. It is essential learners have the right skills and mindset to appeal to potential employers as well as realistic expectations for their first job."

Alasdair Downes, Director of Business Development at NCFE, said: "We have been working very closely with Reed in Partnership and it is clear that we share many of the same values. Certainly, we both recognise the importance of giving learners the very best chance when entering the labour market and, given the challenging times we live in, providing cost-effective solutions in this area is vitally important.

Tom Millar later added: "There is clear evidence that if learners have the correct mindset they are far more likely to be attractive to employers. In a recent survey of 1,264 employers conducted by REED, 97% put mindset ahead of skill set when recruiting. In a further ground breaking study of 30,000 CVs (comparing successful CVs against unsuccessful CVs), REED found that demonstrating your mindset in action on your CV 'tripled your chances of getting and keeping' the best job."

NCFE is passionate about designing, developing and delivering innovative, nationally recognised qualifications and awards. These qualifications have contributed to the success of millions of learners at all levels, bringing them closer to fulfilling their personal goals.

Last year alone, over 340,000 learners from 2,000 colleges, schools and training organisations chose NCFE as the awarding organisation to help them move their careers forward.