Learn Live beams pupils into Lancashire workplaces

Thousands of pupils of pupils across Lancashire have been given the opportunity to explore offices, factories, construction sites and more thanks to the innovative Learn Live project.

The idea was developed here in Lancashire, and links young people with local employers through a series of live TV broadcasts.

Backed by the LEP’s Lancashire Skills & Employment Hub, the programme has already seen nearly 40 local schools taking part from across the county.

As a result, thousands of pupils from across Lancashire have been able to experience first-hand what life is like in the workplaces of some of the region’s most innovative SMEs.

Based on a number of LEP’s priority employment sectors, local companies – including ROQ (creative and digital), Herbert Parkinson (manufacturing), NHS East Lancs CCG (health and social care), and Cummins Mellor (professional services) – have all got involved, broadcasting from their workplaces, via a broadband connection, into schools and showing students what working in their industry is really like on a day-to-day basis.

Their live streams have been beamed into classes through interactive whiteboards, classroom projectors or via individual computers, and pupils have been able to interact with company staff and ask questions during the broadcast.

Learn Live founder and managing director is Chorley-based Stuart Heaton, who started the business in 2015. Since then, he has seen the service deliver over 300 live broadcasts, reaching over 250,000 young people in schools, colleges and other educational institutions across the UK. Over 1,200 schools and colleges have also engaged with Learn Live’s extensive library of on-demand video content, which is often complemented by live, interactive Q&As with industry professionals.

He said: “Despite the great efforts of careers advisors and teachers, it can be very hard to show young people what the world of work is really like.

“In some professions, such as construction, there is also a huge demand for apprentices and graduates across a wide range of roles, but it can be difficult for firms to demonstrate the rewarding careers on offer.

“Learn Live looks to address some of these issues, and it allows thousands of pupils across Lancashire to get an insight into job roles and industry sectors that they may never have contemplated before. They also can ask questions directly to professionals who actually do this type of work for a living, while they are actually doing it.”

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