Partnerships are mutually beneficial relationships where both (or all) parties learn about each others’ needs and resources. The term partnerships can incorporate funding arrangements to collaborative attempts to address issues, sharing of knowledge, experience , skills and financial resources.
Effective partnerships can have long-term benefits with:
- organisational practice and productivity
- Can assist in the transfer of good practice
- Can assist with the development of professional skills
- Build up existing links between parties
- Sense of common purpose to solving a problem
Benefits to schools and students:
- Teachers gain professional development and networking opportunities
- Students and teachers are offered an insight to the business environment
- Facilitate an appreciation between schools and business in schools of current and future employment patterns
- Facilitate the provision of structured workplace learning for VET programs
- Employer support for an involvement in career programs
- Fosters Open Communication between school/business/community
Benefits to business, community groups and their employees:
- Active involvement with VET programs has the potential to enhance the image of the business/community group
- Develops an understanding of the VET and education system
- The business environment, products and services better understood by VET participants ( students & teachers)
- Quality of future entry level workforce is better assured
- Businesses requirements, satisfaction and expectations of education are better communicated
- Employability skills are developed in the business environment
- VET structured work placement provides the opportunity to assess student for suitability for future recruitment
- Holistic support for young people in transition
- Resource sharing
Benefits to the community:
- Strengthen community relationships between school/community and youth/community
- Foster the values and uniqueness of community
- Value and make use of the skills, knowledge and experience of all community members
- Economic development initiatives are enhanced
- Improved communication with key stakeholders can result in schools being able to respond to business and community needs
- Healthy communities are vibrant communities
The Partnership Kit [PDF 8.4MB] provides community, education and industry organisations with tools and a step by step guide to assist and underpin the establishment of sustainable and productive partnerships. If you are a member of a community, education or industry organisation, this kit will help you understand how to develop and sustain productive partnerships to enhance the delivery of vocational education & training (VET) and community programmes.
www.partnerships.org.uk/pguide/pships.htm
Guidelines to setting up a partnership
http://www.regionalpartnerships.gov.au/
Commonwealth funding for developing local partnerships
www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/builder/what/cbquest.html
Contains a useful list of questions that have been developed to assess success factors in community building.
www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/finding_funds/accessing/vol.html
What are Partnerships? Nine principles for effective partnerships.
Guaranteeing Futures
Partnerships