MAKE SURE YOU READ THE CITIES OF LEARNING REPORT!

More and more of us are living in cities and an interesting RSA report has just been published. It argues that Cities of Learning has the potential to unlock significant benefits for cities, learners, and employers...

BLBW: AN ENTITLEMENT FOR ALL!

The Better Learners, Better Workers programme is based on developing the key skills that employers, partners and research across the Sheffield City region, the country and the world have told us young people need to succeed at school, at work and in later life. 

THE SKILLS THAT MATTER!

OUR NEW SCHOOLS!

BLBW MOVES UP A GEAR!

 

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS: BLBW RELEASING THE WOW FACTOR!

This year we are working with even more schools and employers and reaching even more young people across the Sheffield City Region. We now have programmes in 30 schools where we are training 500 Ambassadors and through our WOW Factor programme reaching over 6000 young people across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. We are continuing to deliver employer-led learning across six main employment sectors which are critical to the economic development of the Sheffield City Region: Arts & Culture, Construction, Digital, Emergency Services, Engineering and NHS/Healthcare.

NEW: BLBW AMBASSADOR HANDBOOK

We know that skills matter and that we need to help young people achieve these skills because they are the keys to success at school, at work and in life! Over the Summer we have rewritten all the BLBW materials and the new BLBW handbook is to help young people to develop a portfolio of evidence to show how they are developing the essential skills needed for success at school, college, university, and at work. As always, happy to share, network and learn so if you want to find out more please get in touch.

NEW: BLBW AMBASSADOR SKILLS BOOKLET!

We know that skills matter and that we need to help young people achieve these skills because they are the keys to success at school, at work and in life! Over the Summer we have rewritten all the BLBW materials and the new ambassador skills booklet shows young people what they need to do to achieve each level of the fifteen skills which make up the Better Learners, Better Workers skill set. Happy to share, network and learn so if you want to find out more please get in touch.

MY MEETING WITH SONIA!

I was in Sheffield this morning to have breakfast with my brilliant colleague and friend Sonia Sharp. Sonia and I worked together at Education Leeds where we established the foundations for brilliant learning and built something amazing... an organisation and culture that changed lives and won awards and accolades for everything it did!!! Sonia has been working in Australia where she has also been doing some extraordinary stuff! The breakfast meeting was great and it made me realise how much I miss her energy, passion and enthusiasm!! It also reminded me of that rare magic and incredible teamwork we had at Education Leeds... with so many amazing colleagues who have gone on to do so much in so many areas!! We are both passionate about young people, learning, skills and changing lives and the meeting reminded me, in case I ever forget, that the things that matter most in life are friends, family and faith! We agreed that we needed to stay in touch and continue to try to change the world for all our young people!

BLBW:MiB YEAR 9 AMBASSADORS GET STARTED!

I started the day at the 'Better Learners, Better Workers; Made in Barnsley' Y9 Induction Session at the Priory Campus in Barnsley with my colleagues Sharon Swift, from Barnsley Healthcare Federation, and Sarah Ward, from Straaltechniek and the WorkWise Foundation.

FORMER STUDENT, JUSTINE GREENING, THE EDUCATION SECRETARY, OFFICIALLY OPENS OAKWOOD HIGH SCHOOL!

I was at Oakwood High School this morning, where Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for Education, was officially opening their fantastic new school building. Justine Greening MP was returning to her former Rotherham school to officially open its new building. Interestingly she is the first Education Secretary with a comprehensive school background!

TO CREATE BETTER LEARNERS AND BETTER WORKERS... THINK TEAM!

If you read the McKinsey Report, analyse the PISA data and listen to people like Ken Robinson it is increasingly obvious that to prepare for the future, to compete on an international stage and to access the opportunities created by the knowledge based industries, we need to create learning pathways that ignite and inspire our children and young people to become brilliant learners and brilliant workers. 

AMAZING STUFF: 3D PRINTING?

Over the weekend I read that MX3D are going to 3D print a fully functional, intricate steel bridge in the centre of Amsterdam...