Salisbury Careers Alliance
- Develop the knowledge and skills needed in employment and beyond formal education
- Better understand the world of work and, especially, all it can offer here in Salisbury,
- Find new recruits for their businesses and get the training that they need for existing staff.
- Create more jobs for young people locally and help maintain business growth and stability in the city and surrounding area.
The Alliance
The Salisbury Careers Alliance is a Chamber of Commerce led initiative with support from the Salisbury Business Improvement District (BID). Originally set up as the Salisbury Education and Business Partnership (SEBP) but recently re-branded as the Salisbury Careers Alliance, our aim is to develop effective partnerships between schools, colleges and the local business community in Salisbury. These interactions bring many benefits to both young people and businesses.
Careers Alliance Database
At the heart of the Alliance is our database of businesses and individuals that support schools with careers activities. From career talks in assembly, to mock interviews and work experience, schools need help from businesses to inform and inspire their students. They also need to know about local companies that offer apprenticeships or graduate entry schemes for those leaving school or college – or returning to Salisbury after University.
Please consider joining this valuable resource. Read our document “Career Activities Explained” for more information. You can read more HERE about the activities that require support and, if you think you can help, complete the ‘Register on the Careers Alliance Database’ form HERE. We will pass on your details to the schools and colleges in the Alliance for their staff to contact you directly.
Benefits to Young People
- Raises aspirations and increases motivation at school
- Allows young people to broaden their horizons and have a wider understanding of the labour market
- Industry and businesses give more relevance to their education
- Allows young people to learn valuable transferable skills (developing these whilst with employers, also helping them to understand the importance of acquiring and developing key skills in their own time and at school)
- Allows young people to start developing a network
- Helps young people in securing a job (most employers want potential employees to have some type of experience of the work place).
- Helps provide a more impressive CV/Personal Statement
Benefits to Business
Working with local educational settings brings businesses many benefits, including:
- Increasing your visibility (brand) to schools, students and parents
- Increasing the understanding of what you do; what your industry does; the roles you have and the key skills you look for when recruiting
- Opportunity to introduce yourselves to the future work generation and to develop the skills, behaviours and knowledge needed for your industry in order to close the skills gap
- Opportunity to offer work experience/work shadowing; promote your entry levels roles; apprenticeships or graduate trainee programmes
- Developing the skills and community-mindedness of your own staff
- Being seen locally as a socially responsible business supporting the local community
The Impact of the Alliance
The impact of the Alliance extends beyond the individual student and business level. By helping to retain more talent locally and promoting career opportunities in the city, The Alliance actively contributes to the economic growth and prosperity of Salisbury as a whole. Together, we can build a brighter future for Salisbury by empowering our students and fostering meaningful connections between education and business. Please come and join us by adding your details to the database.
For more information please contact [email protected]
Salisbury Apprenticeships and Early Careers Fair
In January this year, we put on an Apprenticeships and Early Careers Fair, hosted jointly by Salisbury Sixth Form College and Wiltshire College and with support from the Wiltshire Careers Hub. All the secondary schools in Salisbury sent pupils with over 800 attending during the day and a further 200 parents and students came to an evening session. 25 local employers from all sectors took part. Such was its success, we have been asked to run it again, and the format is being copied for other parts of Wiltshire.
Next year’s fair will be on Wednesday 24th January 2024, hosted again at the 6th Form College and Wiltshire College. If you have early career roles, and would like to take part please get in touch with [email protected]
Salisbury Education Challenge
The Salisbury Education Challenge has run since 2017 asking students for their ideas on important issues such as Climate Change, Skills and Enterprise and making improvements for Salisbury. The most recent Challenge on Climate Change has been extended to primary schools and details of three excellent winning projects will shortly be announced on the Chamber website!
A number of previous ideas have been taken up and are now part of everyday life in the city.
The judging for the 2022/23 Education Challenge on Climate Change has now been completed and we are pleased to announce the two joint winners!
The team from Bishop Wordsworth School of Charlotte Abbott, Anna Hayakawa and Jules Durnford Frost produced an excellent entry on means of tackling food waste across Salisbury and South Wiltshire whilst Pearl Veratau from Leehurst Swan School came up with a host of terrific ideas for improving the greenery in Salisbury and especially the centre of the city,
The runners up Award was given to the student Eco Council at Downton Primary School for their ideas and proposed campaign to stop people idling their car engines in car parks and elsewhere.
All three entries will receive small cash prizes to further promote their projects as well as certificates and shopping vouchers to spend in Salisbury.
Two other entries from South Wilts Grammar School and Wyvern St Edmunds School received commendations from the judges.
The Challenge for the 2023/2024 academic year will be Salisbury 2035 asking students to develop their vision of what should be done over the next twelve years to ensure a vibrant and sustainable Salisbury by 2035. The Salisbury Journal article on Salisbury 2035 is here.
Career Videos
Career Videos in our series ‘Just the Job’. There are now 12 which can be viewed here. Although there are many such videos around, these feature people working in or near Salisbury and have been well received by schools.
Titles include a career in Law, as a Paramedic, Architect, Journalist and much more.
Our latest video is about considering a career as a VET – and the highs and lows – , it features Dr Adam Sheridan, Clinical Director and Veterinary Surgeon at Endell Veterinary Group in Salisbury. Do take a look!
The next video on ‘Expectations of the Workplace; is now in production.
If you would like to put your name forward to feature in a video or know someone who would be suitable – please get in touch with [email protected]
Apprenticeships in Salisbury
Maggie Fowler has set up a website Apprenticeships in Salisbury which showcases all the local businesses that regularly offer apprenticeships and other opportunities for school leavers as well as graduates returning to Salisbury after university. The schools are using this as a resource to demonstrate to students the kind of opportunities that will be available to them when they leave school. There is also a lot of information about the benefits of apprenticeships both for young people and businesses. If you would like to have your business listed, or have questions about apprenticeships, please get in touch with Maggie.