The merger of two West London Education Business Partnerships to form a single Ealing & Hillingdon Education Business Partnership (E&HEBP) was announced at the Arora International Hotel, West Drayton, on 5^th February 2009.  E&HEBP provides a crucial link between business and education, with the aim of offering young people across both boroughs a rewarding and realistic introduction to the world of work.

By joining forces, the newly formed E&HEBP has combined resources across Ealing and Hillingdon to provide schools and colleges with a conduit to business and vice versa.  This approach aims to forge a strong relationship between the teaching curriculum and how it prepares young people for the world of work.  Current activities include collaboration in the development of Diplomas, a new qualification for 14-19 years available in up to 14 subjects that can be studied at three levels: Foundation, Higher and Advanced.  Other initiatives include the provision of work experience, a vibrant series of enterprise workshops, careers taster days and a mock interview programme where over 1,000 students have already experienced the process of applying for a job.

Guest speakers at the E&HEBP launch event included: John Edmunds, Head of Work Related Policy, Department for Children, Schools and Families, Alison Moore, Senior School Improvement Officer, Hillingdon Council, Rachel Seitz, Director of School’s Service, Ealing Council, Mary Barry, Community Investment Manager, British Airways and Keith Warner, Managing Director, The Ginger Group.

Alan Coates, E&HEBP Chairman, commented: “Fully integrating the Ealing and Hillingdon Education and Business Partnerships has enabled us to share know-how and best practice.  Now we can utilise our combined strength to make businesses aware of what they can contribute to education and what they can gain from getting involved.  At the same time, I believe that it is important to give young people the chance to experience the commercial world through work-related learning.”