Over the past year the words 'revised' and 'curriculum' have been heard a lot in our newspapers, on our TV's and in many conversations; it has now been two months since the 'Revised Curriculum for Northern Ireland' was introduced to our schools. Too early to comment on results, but when the time does come to assess and evaluate the changes that have been made, how many in the business community will have a full understanding of the new system and the implications for future business in our city?

Education Minister Caitriona Ruane articulated the aims of the revised curriculum in May of this year 'Our education system should be about creating confident and articulate young people who can go out in the global arena and avail of the best employment prospects' and also talked about education that is 'fit for purpose.' Inspiring stuff,but what exactly does this mean for employers?

The first and biggest change relates to subject content. Teachers, those delivering the curriculum in the classroom every day, are now able to choose appropriate content to relate to the students they are teaching, provided it allows students to progress and achieve the outcomes set out in the new system. Too many students have been left behind or damaged by their educational experiences in the 'old' system. Allowing teachers to adapt methods and resources in order to engage students will mean that the aforementioned 'outcomes' can be more readily achieved for each student.

These 'outcomes' are the next major change. They now relate to the skills and competencies that students must develop in order to lead a successful life as an economically active member of the local community. Skills such as information management, thinking, problem solving and creativity will be integrated into and developed through the seven main education strands, which now includes Learning for Life and Work, Citizenship and Employability . The business community have long been saying that too many students are leaving education without these 'work readiness' skills, and now the education sector has listened.

This is a very brief look at the revised curriculum, and is intended to generate action rather than inform. The Chamber of Commerce represents over 400 local businesses and organisations, and has been vocal in the call for changes to our education system. Included in this 400 are our local 2^nd level schools, and now that change has been implemented we feel it is time to encourage employers to support these changes, which will go some way in allowing the North West to achieve the economic success that we aim for. A Chinese proverb says'…involve me and I will understand' - how can the business community understand fully the implications of this revised curriculum unless we see it in action?

All our local schools are working to build links with the business community. Interview skills days, careers advice, Work Experience and Adopt-a-Class programmes are all ways we can support the changes that we called for so vociferously.

St Mary's College is one of our local schools who implemented the Revised Curriculum teaching methods prior to September 2007. Maire Lyndsey, Principal, feels it is very important to encourage more active links between the business community and local schools. St Mary's has always been supported by local business; however they must continue to build relationships with new businesses to offer a wider educational experience to the students. The school held a 'Back to School' Day on 21 November, which gave local employers an opportunity to see the Revised Curriculum at work. Participants were given the chance to speak to pupils, see first-hand how the new system has worked for the school and ask questions of staff, all to support the aim of building a better understanding of the Revised Curriculum, which will in turn help make the transition from school to employment a smoother and more productive experience for students and employers alike.

If you would like to become involved, please contact FOSEC. FOSEC has been evaluated by DENI and they have been found to be a model of best practice in effective employer/ schools interaction. If you are interested the FOSEC team would only be too glad to help foster / broker relationships between schools and employers, in a way that will that will deliver sustainable results for all involved.

For further information on FOSEC, please contact Maire at Maire@Fosec.org