Nearly half of businesses have staff acting as governors

A new study published in July shows that nearly half of businesses in the UK (44%) have staff acting as governors. The data comes from the 10th Annual Education and Skills Survey 2017 published by the CBI and education services company Pearson.

Just over 80% of businesses that responded reported having some links with schools and/or colleges, with connections most widespread between businesses and secondary schools (66%). Of those with links to secondary schools, 80% are involved in delivering careers advice and talks, while almost as many (78%) offer work experience placements.

As expected, engagement is greater in larger businesses with higher numbers of staff. Among businesses with 5,000 employees and above, an impressive 95% reported having links with schools/colleges.

However, even among SMEs with under 250 employees, more than half (55%) reported having links to education: 34% work with primary schools, 66% with secondaries and 68% with FE colleges.

Crucially, nearly half of businesses report having members of staff who serve as governors.

The report recognises that governance is an area where business involvement can have a real impact. It says: “Building a world-class school system depends on excellence in its leaders, backed and challenged by confident, supportive and capable governing bodies that act as a bridge to businesses and the wider community.

“This contribution is an important one as many schools find the recruitment and retention of highly capable governors is a serious challenge, particularly in some of the poorest areas of the country.”

We couldn’t agree more. Inspiring Governance makes it easy for volunteers and schools to connect, and we support employers who want to promote school governance to their staff. Volunteers who are placed through the service receive free training from the NGA.