On Tuesday 15 November, ABCN hosted its first national Thought Leadership Symposium in partnership with Philanthropy Australia.  The event, It’s Who You Meet, was an afternoon of discussion and celebration centred around employer mentoring initiatives with education. 

Over 120 people came to hear guest panellists speak about their experiences of ABCN programs and to take in research that evidences the positive impact of business and education partnerships.

The theme for the symposium was inspired by a research paper compiled by the Employer and Education Taskforce in the United Kingdom titled It’s Who You Meet: Why Employer Contacts at School Make a Difference to the Employment Prospects of Young Adults.

This paper shows a powerful correlation between the number of interactions students have with employers while at school and their employment outcomes – indicating that just four contacts during secondary school years increases the future earning capacity of young people and elevates their confidence in transitioning to the workforce. These findings reinforce ABCN’s independent research that also demonstrate the considerable impact that employer contact can make on the lives of young people.

The symposium allowed ABCN to share research while attendees were able to hear first-hand from students, principals, teachers and mentors about the mutual benefits of corporate mentoring relationships.  The discussion forums reiterated that while we’re definitely on the right path, a sustained and collaborative approach to education and business partnerships needs to be nurtured and maintained for ongoing success.  There’s still more work to be done!

Highlights from the event included hearing students speak about the importance of mentoring for their personal and professional development and corporate partners talk about mentoring as a valuable employee engagement tool.

The day culminated with an awards presentation ceremony where the ABCN Foundation announced its 2016 scholars, and founding Victorian partner certificates were awarded to member companies and schools.

It’s Who You Meet was a great success, and we look forward to presenting the next edition in 2017 – standby for updates.

Links to the research presented at It’s Who You Meet can be found as follows:

NATIONAL SHOWCASE
The Evolution of ABCN video can be found on ABCN’s Vimeo profile by clicking here.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP – A LOT OF A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY
ABCN’s snapshot of the 2012 Education and Employers Taskforce research, It’s Who You Meet: Why Employer Contacts at School Make a Difference to the Employment Prospects of Young Adults, can also be accessed and shared from Vimeo by clicking here. 

It’s Who You Meet: Why Employer Contacts at School Make a Difference to the Employment Prospects of Young Adults can be read in full on the Education and Employers Taskforce’s website.

Additional research from Education and Employers Taskforce on Employer Engagement can be accessed via its main research portal.