Employers in Swindon are being encouraged to support the future employability of young people in the town by becoming school governors.
Hi-tech giant Intel Corporation is hosting an event on Thursday November 10 at its head office to highlight the benefits school governing boards can bring to both young people and businesses themselves.
There are currently vacancies for 80 governors in Swindon’s schools. 
The role of a school governing body is to champion outstanding standards of education for all pupils by working with school leaders to set the school’s strategic direction.
This includes holding the head teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its students, and ensuring its finances are effectively managed.
A governing body populated by high-calibre individuals adds considerable value to the school – and, through its role in driving up educational standards, helps create ‘work-ready’ school-leavers for local and regional employers.
Also by joining a governing body that counts very senior and experienced business leaders among its number, more junior but able individuals soon begin to acquire board-level strategic leadership skills and the experiences of working as a senior team – assets they might not otherwise develop until much later in their career.
These valuable skills, which come at no direct cost to employers, are brought back into the workplace where they will not only enhance the performance of the governor/employee, but can also be passed on to other members of the workforce.
Nicky Alberry, pictured above, vice-chair of the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), and chair of Influence, the organisation that acts as the collective voice of business in Swindon, said: “We all agree that the employability of our young people is critical to both them as individuals but also to us in business.
“Having people, particularly those working in businesses, involved in the governing of our schools will ensure that we all benefit from access to a highly skilled potential workforce in the future.”
Employers can really influence the calibre of young people entering the job market by supporting colleagues to become school governors.
The event will help employers understand the important benefits from supporting employee governors and playing a key role in education in Swindon.
To book a place and/or find out more, contact Bridget Sinclair on bsinclair@swindon.gov.uk or 01793 463064.
