Meet the Employee - Raising Aspirations

Knowsley Council’s ‘Meet the Employee Programme’ offers encounters with employers and employees (Gatsby Benchmark 5) and experiences of workplaces (Gatsby Benchmark 6) to pupils in our SEND (Special Educational needs and Disabilities) schools and colleges.

The aim of the programme is to raise aspirations around employment, raise awareness of different job roles, and explore the skills needed for different jobs. As well as learning about different types of work, the programme also builds up pupils’ confidence, teamwork, presentation, and communication skills.

Developed during lockdown, the programme allowed pupils to meet with employees and employers remotely over Zoom. Employees/employers sent video clips to Knowsley Council’s PfA Employment Support Officer who edited the footage into short films which were shown to pupils remotely. Pupils worked with their peers to think of questions to ask the employees during follow up Zoom meetings.

As the programme developed, Q&A sessions were done in person at the school or at the employee’s business. Team challenges and enterprise activities were also incorporated into the programme with many of the employees acting as judges in the style of ‘Dragon’s Den’.

We now have a bank of over 25 videos covering a range of occupations. Q&A sessions are done in person and several organisations are hosting business visits where pupils can meet other employees in the workplace, learn about their roles and learn about what having a job means to them. Pupils can also learn about the different tasks within a workplace and take part in some work-based activities.

The following example videos include interviews with a range of employees:

Dave - Retired Train Driver