The Gatsby Benchmarks

Gatsby Benchmark 5: Encounters with employers and employees

Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace.

How to organise encounters with employers 

The Careers Hub have a network of over 180 local employers called Industry Champions who can volunteer and support schools and colleges with their employer encounters. You can find out more about Industry Champions here.

You can also ask your school's Enterprise Adviser if they can provide any business contacts who can support your school with an encounter. 

Employer encounters in school about the career and training pathways they offer can count towards Provider Access Legislation.

Use school trips to facilitate employer encounters as part of the day. Ask your students to prepare questions for people they meet and then share their learning afterwards. 

Please encourage your students and their parents and carers to attend the annual Apprenticeship Roadshow events where local employers exhibit their apprenticeship opportunities.

The Careers Hub's annual iCan careers event and evening event for parents and carers supports employer encounters for young people who have barriers to accessing mainstream careers events. Find out more about iCan here.

Careers Share have a free bank of resources to encourage parents and carers to support employer encounters for their young people in school. You can access the resources here.

You can find more suggestions in Compass+ under Careers Partners. For more ideas, see the Careers and Enterprise Company's resource directory.

Online encounters

The Careers and Enterprise Company says that, for an online encounter to meet Gatsby Benchmark 5, it must have:

  • Evidence that the student actively participated
  • Defined learning outcomes, based on the age and needs of students
  • Two-way interaction between students and employers/employees

For more advice about digital encounters and safeguarding, contact the Careers Hub at Careers.Hub@eastsussex.gov.uk 

You can create an online encounter by combining videos with other activities. Online employer videos can be found at:

You can transform videos into interactive sessions by adding another activity:

  • A virtual Q&A with the employer via Microsoft Teams or Zoom
  • An email Q&A with the employer where the Careers Leader sends the students' questions to the employer
  • An employer-set task for students to complete individually or in groups
  • This how-to-guide provides useful advice on how to arrange virtual mock interviews by phone or online

Teaching resources for employer videos:

Employability skills and employer encounters

These Careers Hub videos and lesson plans develop learners' employability skills. They relate to the ten SkillsBuilder skills. See the notes section of slide five in each lesson plan to access the video link. You can teach these lessons alongside an employer encounter:

Help with Gatsby Benchmark 5 

Ask your Careers Hub Coordinator and Enterprise Adviser for further advice and consult the Careers and Enterprise Company's resource directory.