Launch Event
Princely Adviser Boosts BXL
Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO, CBE will support Birmingham-based BXL when she addresses its inaugural Breakfast Briefing tomorrow (Friday 28th November 2008). Over sixty guests from businesses, schools, colleges, charities and public bodies will attend the event at the Chamber of Commerce building in the city centre.
In his address tomorrow, BXL Chief Executive John Ling will formally announce the company’s success in being commissioned to deliver the £2 million elev8 project funded from the ESF (European Social Fund) through the Learning and Skills Council. A consortium of partners led by BXL will deliver the project across Birmingham and Solihull. It aims to engage 530, 16-18 year olds and learners aged up to 25 with learning difficulties and disabilities into learning and progress them into sustainable education, employment and training.
Dame Julia Cleverdon is Vice President of Business in the Community and a former Chief Executive of the unique movement of 800 companies across the UK committed to improving their positive impact on society. Last year, she was invited to join the National Council for Educational Excellence to lead a review for the Prime Minister on how education-business partnerships can contribute to educational excellence. In the NCEE’s recently published report, Julia highlighted the current challenge of increasing the quality and breadth of partnerships though a “brilliant brokerage” service in every area.
John Ling, Chief Executive at BXL, commented: “We are delighted Dame Julia will be with us to celebrate the new company. Her thoughts on the need to dramatically raise the impact and scale of education-business links will be fascinating. Birmingham and Solihull have a good track record in developing partnerships between schools, colleges and enterprises – but we need to do more to engage employers and make young people ready for work.”
Dame Julia Cleverdon was recently appointed by HRH The Prince of Wales as a Special Adviser to The Prince’s Charities with particular emphasis on the importance of the role of responsible business. She also serves as Chair of Teach First, whose mission is to address educational disadvantage by transforming exceptional graduates into effective, inspirational teachers and leaders in all fields.
BXL began trading last month (1st October 2008) as the successor company to Birmingham and Solihull Connexions. BXL is a social enterprise company which promises a new approach to preparing young people for work and engaging employers in education.
BXL manages the Education Business Links service for Birmingham and Solihull. Other contracts include delivering mentoring services for young people and adults as well as programmes aimed at improving youth engagement and raising achievement. Many of the programmes delivered by the company have made a significant contribution to reducing the NEET (16-18 year-olds Not in Employment, Education or Training) key indicator for Birmingham and Solihull from 9.8% to 7.3% in 2007.
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Issue Date: 27th November 2008
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