Formalising the partnership

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At this stage it may make sense to formalise the relationship through developing protocols, agreeing behaviours and nominating key contacts on both sides.

These agreements may need to be updated and reviewed as the partnership develops and to take account of staff turnover.

 

Developing protocols

It can sometimes be difficult for schools to manage the relationship with employer partners. A way for schools to ensure that relationships are well managed is to draw up a code of practice. Look at a sample code of practice, to see how a school has built in commitment to its employer partner.

For the code of practice to be a valuable tool for schools in developing relationships with employers, it must have the complete support of school leaders and their staff. In schools where "hearts and minds" have been won (see Getting started), the co-development and endorsement of a code of practice may be a matter of course.

In other schools, this may not be the case. However, it is important that ways and means are found to ensure that all staff support and implement the code. Once the code is implemented, it must be monitored (possibly by the employer education coordinator).

When protocols have been agreed, it can help to secure a long-term partnership that meets everyone's needs. However, if members of staff who are involved in the education-employer link change roles or move jobs, there is a risk that the partnership will weaken. Schools and colleges can guard against such potential problems in a few simple ways.

 

Securing the future of the partnership

Some schools/colleges may wish to go one step further than writing a code of practice, for a variety of reasons. They may:

  • believe in the value of engaging employers in the life of the school/college
  • have strong support in employer engagement by all staff, parents and students
  • have such successful experiences with their employer partners that they wish to create a more "formal" focus on employer engagement within the school/college.

Such schools/colleges may wish to form a secure partnership between themselves and the employer. They can do this in two main ways:

  • Writing a policy: Schools/colleges and employers that wish to secure a partnership could develop a written policy to ensure that the practice of employer engagement is embedded into the life and work of the school. This would ensure that even if key proponents of employer engagement leave the school, the practice of working with employers will not desist.
  • Developing implementation plans: These can lead naturally to the formation of a partnership agreement or memoranda of understanding between employers and their education partners: the range of work between the employer and school or college would be incorporated into an overarching document that informs the relationship.

It is increasingly common for an employer to not only ask an employee to coordinate the relationship between school and organisation, but to have that role written into the job description. In this way, employers can ensure that links with schools and projects are not lost when an employee moves on. The same process can occur with staff job descriptions at schools and colleges.

View an example memorandum of understanding.