A new alliance, comprising of organisations including the Department of Education, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the National Governors’ Association, CBI, FSB and the CIPD, has been launched today by Education Secretary, Michael Gove. The Inspiring Governors Alliance aims to widen the pool of business professionals making themselves available as governors, as well increase awareness amongst employers about the benefits to be gained by supporting their staff to be school governors.
The alliance has been launched alongside a new report from the University of Bath and National Governors’ Association, which revealed that some schools were struggling to attract governors with the right skills and recommended that more needed to be done to attract high calibre candidates.
Supporting the announcement, Susannah Clements, Deputy Chief Executive of the CIPD, said: “Increasing the number of high calibre professionals putting themselves forward to become school governors is a key step towards bridging the gap between education and work. By influencing the governance of schools, businesses can forge important links with the world of education, ensuring that the future workforce is equipped with the skills needed for success.
“For an HR professional, becoming a school governor gives your organisation the additional advantage of access to a wide pool of talent, which can potentially ease future recruitment challenges. As an employer, any member of staff who becomes a governor will also benefit from the skills gained by taking on a strategic leadership role, which can be brought back to your organisation.”
The CIPD also encourages HR professionals to engage with schools via Inspiring the Future, a free initiative that allows volunteers to sign up to deliver one-off careers insight talks or CV and interview advice sessions. This forms part of the CIPD Learning to Work programme, which aims to increase the number of employers engaging with young people.
