Hull & East Yorkshire’s Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP) hosted a successful VIP – Meet the Cornerstones Employers event in Hull’s iconic Guildhall last week.

Wednesday 27 September saw a host of employers, business leads and careers leaders from school and colleges in Hull and East Yorkshire come together for a networking session.

Organised by HEY LEP’s Careers Hub, 10 Cornerstone businesses and partner employers showcased an array of employment opportunities for young people post-education.

These employers also work with the Careers Hub to support those who face the most barriers to reach their potential, ensuring they acquire vital skills, experiences and insights.

The Careers Hub is match-funded by the national Careers and Enterprise Company, along with employer and partner contributions.

In total, 12 schools and colleges gained access to fresh ideas, with the opportunity to work with employers and partners going forward, including careers pathways and apprenticeships.

Fiona Headridge, Careers Hub Lead at HEY LEP, said: “This event offered a fantastic opportunity for employers to gain immediate access to contacts with schools and colleges in the area, thus supporting their workforce of the future.

“It was really positive to see current Cornerstone employers enthusiastically engaging with provider partners which work with our young people on a daily basis.

“Participants gave positive and encouraging feedback, with many expressing aspirations for their business to join the Cornerstone group.”

Hull and East Yorkshire Cornerstone Group is a group of employers which comes together on a regular basis in order to work collaboratively to form strong, meaningful and long-term relationships between local schools and colleges and as employers, many of which are regional sector specialists looking to recruit new talent both now and in the future.

The group is part of the Hull and East Yorkshire Careers Hub which works directly with every school and college (11+) in the region to engage employers in their careers education programmes, hearing first-hand the types of skills needed to drive local economy.

Cornerstone employers include Agencia Ltd, Cranswick plc, Balfour Beatty, BAE Systems, Weinerberger, Swift Group, William Jackson Food Group, Hull Citywide Partnership and Different Resonance.

Group director, Miranda Spencer from Cranswick plc, said: “If you are not familiar with the Cornerstone structure, we are a group of employers in the Hull and East Yorkshire area which comes together on a regular basis in order to work collaboratively to form strong, meaningful and long-term relationships between local schools and colleges and employers.”

Anyone wishing to discover how they can help inspire future HEY workforces are welcome  to get in touch.