Industry and education leaders today are both facing an interlinked challenge. Industry leaders are looking at ways to further build out their talent pipeline in response to ongoing staffing shortages and a changing need in skillsets from employees. At the same time, educators are working to find ways to deliver real, relevant and relatable learning experiences in the classroom as they endeavour to prepare students for the ever-changing future of work.
As part of Scott's role as a youth advocate, educator and young entrepreneur, he works with organisations big and small around the world to help them find innovative ways to attract, retain and grow top young talent in their organisations. At the same time, he also works with teachers and students globally to develop and deliver engaging learning experiences to help students develop their 21st century skills and generative innovative solutions to challenges pitched by industry leaders.
At the Business Educators Association Of Queensland (BEAQ) National Summit in 2022, Scott was invited to deliver a keynote speech to share his insights on building sustainable partnerships between industry and education.
Speaking to an audience of business educators, Scott shared his experiences in collaborating and co-designing with industry as he stepped educators through the process of identifying industry partners, making the connection, developing and delivering the learning experience and scaling the partnership from there.
Throughout the keynote, Scott references real-world examples of where this has been done well, and provided educators with a step by step guide that they could take back to their school communities to start building their own industry connections.
Some of Scott's top tips for developing sustainable and impactful industry partnerships included:
- Understand Your Value Drivers: Do your research to find a compatible industry partner and be targeted in your approach. Know what value you can provide to them, and what they can provide to you.
- Make It An Easy Decision: Do your best to remove as many roadblocks as possible for the industry partner. For most industry partners they're doing this in their spare time and out of the goodness of their heart as it's not a core KPI or part of their job description. Make it an easy decision for them to say yes to.
- Avoid Talking Curriculum: Industry partners don't speak education and talking about the specifics of curriculum and pedagogy can overwhelm them. Avoid 'talking shop' and be direct about what you need from them and what you have planned.
- Showcase The Wins: When you get your learning experience off the ground, take lots of photos, capture feedback from students, and share these wins internally with your team, with the industry partner and publically on social media. This is what will get you additional support to keep doing what you're doing.
Scott had a brilliant time speaking to educators at the BEAQ National Summit and can't wait to see all of their impactful future-focused learning experiences come to life with industry partners across the country.
To book Scott for your upcoming event, make sure to submit an enquiry by following this link: www.iamscottmillar.com/speaking