BPS Birmingham targets next generation of city professionals

The annual campaign to encourage more of Birmingham’s youngsters to consider a future career in the city’s professional services sector is once again taking place.

BPS Birmingham’s Professional Services Week aims to encourage more people to stay and pursue a job in the city.

Professional Services Week ran for the first time in 2016 and this year features over 400 Year 8+ students from 20 schools participating in a series of workshops, business walks and seminars held in professional services firms across the city.

Students will get to experience life in one of the city’s professional services firms, talk to young professionals and get advice on how to take advantage of the opportunities the sector can provide them in the future.

Participating schools include; Bordesley Green and Handsworth Wood Schools for Girls, Great Barr and Saltley Academy, Hodge Hill College and Balaam Wood School. Workshops and business walks across the city’s business quarter will be provided for each school and they will visit two firms each. Professional firms include: HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Wesleyan, Grant Thornton and Transport for the West Midlands.

Deloitte will also host several sessions and is sponsoring Professional Services Week for the second time.

Recruiters SimkissGuy, Michael Page and Katie Bard will also provide workshops and the creative and marketing sector will be represented by firms including East Village and JC Social Media.

This year a Teacher’s Walk has been created where another 13 schools will be sending staff as part of their personal development to better understand current labour markets to inform careers advice within schools.

Tomorrow (Thursday) will see Deloitte host a breakfast briefing at which former Secretary of State for Education and current Chair of the Birmingham Education Partnership, Baroness Estelle Morris will present an overview of the issues facing schools in the city and the challenge to find effective and sustained engagement between schools and business.

Partners supporting this year’s Professional Services Week include the Birmingham Education Partnership, Birmingham Metropolitan College Professional Services Academy, Careers and Enterprise Company and Ahead Partnership.

Hilary Smyth-Allen, Executive Director of BPS Birmingham said: “Last year was a great success and we had many schools and professional firms sign up for year two immediately.

“Our main sponsor Deloitte were again very supportive and agreed to be part of this year’s initiative. The BPS sector has to inspire young people from within our schools to consider careers in the sector. Not only does it provide great employment opportunities across many skills levels but it is vital for the sector if it is to adequately resource the predicted growth in the next decade and beyond.

“This is a major issue for professional firms and although Professional Services Week will not solve the problem on its own, it is a brilliant way in which to get both schools and business community together and begin a meaningful engagement. Importantly, encounters with business during education are proven to improve the life chances of young people, making these outreach activities a necessary part of doing business in this region.”