Press Release
Date: Friday 2 May 2008 (NR/10/08)
Pupils get on Board with Education for Employability
60 pupils from Sullivan Upper School, Holywood, Victoria College, Belfast and Wallace High School, Lisburn boarded the Royal Navy Warship, HMS Bulwark on Friday 2 May at Pollack Dock in Belfast. The pupils were treated to a guided tour by the ship’s crew and had the chance to experience life on board one of the Royal Navy’s most impressive warships.
This is just one of a series of events organised by the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) to help develop closer relationships between employers and schools in support of the Education for Employability Programme.
Vivienne Bannon, CCEA, commented;
Education for Employability is a statutory element of the revised curriculum that is currently being rolled out into schools. By allowing young people to experience the world of work, we enable them to see for themselves the skills and qualities that are required in employment and how what they learn in school can help them to prepare for that.
The Royal Navy is one of many organisations who have been supporting schools in this way. EmployabilityFEST ’08 kicks off on 12th May and will see many other schools engaging with their local employers and communities over a two week period.
Many education and industry representatives will gather at Deane’s Brasserie to celebrate the launch of EmployabilityFEST on 12th May.
Additional Information
Education for Employability
Education for Employability was introduced in schools as part of the Revised Northern Ireland Curriculum in primary and post primary schools in September 2007.
Its aim is to ensure that all young people develop the personal qualities, skills, knowledge, understanding and attitudes which will give them a strong foundation for lifelong learning and work.
Primary
In primary schools, Education for Employability underpins the Revised Northern Ireland Curriculum. This means that from an early stage, what primary school children learn will be made real and relevant in the context of the world outside the window.
CCEA have produced resources such as the Anything’s Possible Enterprise StorySacks for Key Stage 1 and Out of this World for Key Stage 2.
Post Primary
At post primary level, Education for Employability encompasses three dimensions under the wider focus of Learning for Life and Work:
- Working in the Local and Global Economy
- Career Planning
- Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
It is given discrete timetabled time like any other subject.
Many schools have already implemented various aspects of Education for Employability in advance of its introduction in September.
EmployabilityFEST ‘08
12 - 23 May sees the return of EmployabiityFEST for the second time.
Schools and employers across the country that were involved in various Employability related activities last year enjoyed it so much that CCEA has decided to do it again.
This is an attempt to forge closer links between schools and employers to achieve the Employability agenda.
EmployabilityFEST will be officially launched on Monday 12th May at Deane’s Restaurant, Howard Street, Belfast.
Media enquiries to Frances Logue on (028) 9026 1298, Mobile 07747 560516. E mail flogue@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
