School and Business Leaders Conference 2023

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority hosted the West Yorkshire Careers Hub: School and Business Leaders Conference last week at Kala Sangam Arts Centre in Bradford.  

118 careers and business leaders attended the conference, to network, share ideas and work together to improve and build on careers support for young people from all backgrounds through a range of thought-provoking talks and workshops. 

John Yarham, the Deputy Chief Executive of the Careers and Enterprise Company
The conference celebrated the West Yorkshire Careers Hub’s success stories. 

Over the last six years we’ve: 

  • Supported over 180 secondary schools and colleges in our region, impacting almost 160,000 pupils each year. 
  • Matched over 500 business volunteers as Enterprise Advisers to schools and colleges to help develop careers strategies linked to local skills needs. 
  • Engaged 13 businesses to act as Cornerstone Employers supporting careers and skills across the region and providing high-quality interactions with pupils. 
  • Supported over 70 Careers Leaders with fully funded training to build their skills  
  • Delivered £1.4 million of funded programmes targeting specific areas of need such as mentoring for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, a virtual work experience programme in growth sectors during the pandemic and a programme to link special educational needs and disabilities alumni back into schools to inspire more pupils.  
Student from Oastlers School, a social emotional and mental health (SEMH) school in Bradford.
What attendees said they’ll put into practice: 

“I have formed a few new links with employers that we will be pursuing”.

“We will raising awareness across our college of how embedding careers is important and everyone's responsibility - not just the one careers advisor's”! 

“As a Trustee will work with Careers leads and SLT to further develop our plans for careers and destinations of our special educational needs students”. 

“The matrix talk was very interesting - tackling inequality. We're going to action a few points from that talk”. 

“I will contact the employers I took details from and invite them into school to do a talk”. 

Clive Hill, Careers Leader at Meden School in the West Midlands and ex REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) - Soldier.

Get involved

If you're and educator and would like access to careers resources please visit our teaching resources page. 

If you're an employer who would like to meet future talent, enhance careers support in schools or become an inclusive employer please visit our employers page.