Since 2016, the 12 Opportunity Areas have been working with local people to improve school standards, attendance, teaching quality and recruitment, careers training and advice, and literacy and maths skills in some of the most disadvantaged regions in the country, alongside tackling barriers to learning that exist beyond the school gates.
This is the first insight guide focused on providing careers advice and support for young people and sharing what has worked in the Opportunity Areas so that other areas can benefit from this insight.
The guide shares examples from Norwich’s employer events for young people, Blackpool’s online platform, West Somerset’s strategic support to help schools engage more with employers, and Doncaster’s work in helping young people find a post-16 option that suits them.
Opportunity Areas have been extended to a fifth year, which will focus on sharing more best practice from the programme and will involve the publication of more Insight Guides, the next focused on Teacher Retention and Recruitment to be published in June 2021.