Business in the Community is a charity that mobilizes businesses to tackle social issues. It engages over 800 member organizations through programs like Business Class, its flagship education initiative. Business Class creates partnerships between over 450 schools and 1,000 businesses to improve academic achievement, employability, and sustainability through leadership, curriculum, enterprise, and other activities. Evaluations found improvements like a 38% increase in academic achievement and 40% increase in employability for participating schools.

1. About Business in the Community
Business in the Community is the Prince’s
Responsible Business Network. Our members work
together to tackle a wide range of issues that are
essential to building a fairer society and a more
sustainable future.
We are a business-led, issue focused charity with
more than 30 years’ experience of mobilising
business. We engage thousands of businesses
through our programmes, driven by our core
membership of over 800 organisations from small
enterprises to global corporations.
Students channelling the bard at Cambridge University Press
Our Education Vision
A day when the worlds of education and employment
are aligned and all young people leave school able to
build successful working lives.
Students who designed best articulated hauler receiving their
prize at Volvo
Education – The Challenge
Young people are increasingly becoming polarised
into those who succeed at school and beyond, and
those who do not because of their social background.
This wasted potential increases the pressure on
businesses, struggling to recruit young people with the
right skills and attributes.
Over half of employers (53.5%) are facing
difficulties filling vacancies1
Business can help develop and create economically
viable, cohesive communities by supporting young
people in schools. We ask all businesses across the
UK to support young people in schools through a
long-term, needs-led, collaborative partnership.
3.5 million young people live in poverty and only 1
in 8 children from low income homes go on to
achieve a high income as an adult2
Research shows that business has a critical part to
play: young people who undertake four or more
employer engagement activities are five times less
likely to become NEET (not in education, employment
or training)2
dramatically reducing the chances they
will be unemployed, engage in criminal behaviour or
suffer poor physical and mental health when they are
older.
1
CBI Pearson Skills Survey, 2014
2
It's Who You Meet: Why Employer Contacts at School Make a
Difference to the Employment Prospects of Young Adults,
Education and Employers Taskforce, February 2012.
Business in the Community – Education
Preventing social background predicting a young person’s
success at school and beyond
Our Education Mission
For all businesses across the UK to support young
people in school through a long-term,
needs-led collaborative business
partnership, with a specific focus on those
young people at risk of becoming
marginalised.

2. Business Class
Business Class is Business in the Community’s
flagship education programme because it creates
effective and mutually beneficial partnerships between
schools and businesses.
Over 450 schools have been involved in Business
Class, supported by 1,000 businesses (33% of whom
are SMEs), engaging 140,000 young people across
the UK.
The relationships that are established are long-term
and driven by the needs of the school and the
priorities, resources and capacity of the business.
Partnerships undertake activities in four areas;
• leadership and governance
• curriculum
• enterprise and employability
• wider issues
Uniquely, Business Class partnerships come together
to form clusters - an effective and powerful network
which collaborates to increase reach and impact,
develops new ideas and shares best practice and
resources. As a result of the cluster mechanism 75%
of students have experienced extensive benefits
through collaborative events including career related
knowledge, confidence and motivation to work at
school.
Linton Village College students presenting their stuffing
design for Dalehead Foods & Waitrose panel
Independent evaluation by Cass Business School,
highlighted that participating Business Class
schools and businesses identified:
• 38% improvement in academic achievement
• 40% increase in employability
• Optimism about sustainability of partnerships
increased by 57% and 32% for schools and
businesses respectively
• Businesses reported an improvement in
meeting their CSR objectives by 23%
Interim research results from University of Warwick
(published November 2015) suggests:
• Students in Business Class schools
experience higher levels of employer
engagement opportunities
• Increased ‘alignment’ between young
people’s aspirations and their attainment
Business Class in Cambridge
In Cambridge, 180 business volunteers have
contributed more than 326 HOURS of their time
across 10 secondary schools this academic year.
3000 pupils in Cambridge have been involved with
Business Class activities which can include;
Careers days for pupils about to take their
examination choices, Careers Lab, STEM events,
women into engineering workshops, functional
maths, work placements, Dragons’ Dens,
apprenticeship pathways, teacher development
days, parental engagement, line management
support for schools on performance management
and much more…..
Apprenticeship Cluster panel: conveying the advantages of
this route into work
“BITC’s Business Class programme has
revolutionised the way business works with schools.
Uniquely, it has enabled businesses, like the team
here at Lloyds, to understand the needs of a school
partner in terms of leadership & governance,
enterprise & employability, curriculum and issues
specifically impacting on that school. This means we
can offer bespoke support and solutions.”
137 Shepherdess Walk. London N1 7RQ
T: 020 7566 8650 | www.bitc.org.uk
President HRH The Prince of Wales | Chairman Mark Price | Chief Executive Stephen Howard
Business in the Community is registered in England and Wales. Registered charity No 297716. Company limited by guarantee No 1619253
For more information on Business Class in Cambridge please contact
Hannah Wild: 07843 336 487 or Hannah.wild@bitc.org.uk

3. David Richardson
Regional Managing Director Midlands, East & South,
Lloyds Banking Group
“Business Class has made it easy for businesses to
engage with secondary schools on a long-term basis.
The structured framework, regular facilitated contact
and the cluster network all contribute to the success of
the programme. We have a complete 360 degree view
of our partner school, understanding their key
priorities not only regarding the employability and
destination of the students when they leave school,
but also around the leadership of the school and the
curriculum. Having a full view of the school has
allowed us to engage different members of staff from
across the business with a range of skills and
experiences.”
Ketan Patel
Finance Director, ISS Facility Services Ltd
137 Shepherdess Walk. London N1 7RQ
T: 020 7566 8650 | www.bitc.org.uk
President HRH The Prince of Wales | Chairman Mark Price | Chief Executive Stephen Howard
Business in the Community is registered in England and Wales. Registered charity No 297716. Company limited by guarantee No 1619253