Why supporting your local college is the smartest recruitment strategy you’re not using
If your business is struggling to recruit skilled, motivated people, you’re not alone.
Across industries, employers are facing growing skills gaps and a shrinking pool of job-ready applicants.
But what if there was a way to shape your future workforce before you even advertise a job?
That’s where the RNN Group comes in. As a leading education provider in South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire, we have developed a range of partnership opportunities for employers in our region who want to future-proof their workforce and strengthen their reputation.
Forward-thinking businesses like Equans, Henry Boot, and Nexus Multi-Academy Trust are discovering that taking part in mentoring, work placements, masterclasses, or curriculum input is having a lasting impact on their business, the community, and the broader economy.
If you’re ready to develop your recruitment strategy, your future workforce could already be sitting in a classroom at your local college waiting for someone like you to help unlock their potential.
Here are five reasons why partnering with RNN Group makes sense, and how it’s easier than you think to started.
Five reasons why partnering with RNN Group makes sense
1. Work Placements: Build a future talent pipeline
Offering a work placement to a student is one of the simplest and most impactful ways to engage.
Along with a fresh perspective from the younger generation’s eyes, you get an extra set of hands during busy periods and the chance to trial potential future employees. Engaging directly with students on the ‘shop floor’ helps ensure they’re learning industry-relevant skills and attitudes.
Meanwhile, the student gets valuable real-world experience, increased confidence, plus a stronger CV and clearer career path.
With the rise of T Levels, which involve a mandatory 45-day placement, we are continually seeking more placement opportunities for our motivated young people and career changers.
We have also launched a Skills for Employment programme where students work towards certification in ten ‘power’ skills – those transferrable skills employers say are lacking in modern workforces.
To gain their gold standard certificate, students need three types of evidence in each skill, be it communication, problem solving, or time management. These can all be gained from work experience or volunteering opportunities with local businesses.
Many of our employer partners find that students who’ve had a great placement experience often return later as loyal, committed employees, helping reduce recruitment costs.
2. Employer Academies: Help design what’s taught
Here at RNN Group, we want our curriculum to reflect industry needs – but we can’t do it alone. When employers feed into course content, participate in employer advisory boards, or even offer part-time teaching, everyone wins.
You get graduates with the sector-specific skills and mindset you actually need. Students get more relevant, engaging training. The sector gets stronger as a result.
Our employer academies have become an integral part of our collaborative approach to academic and hands-on learning. We are aiming to have an employer academy for every subject area across our three college campuses and have already partnered with companies like Esh Construction, Lime Tree Nurseries, Mears Group, and Wentworth Woodhouse.
These employer academies have helped us design and deliver the curriculum. They bring a real-world insight that ensures our teaching is aligned with current industry needs.
It’s helping bridge the disconnect between education and employment by showing students what real-world work looks like, while combatting industry-wide skills shortages.
Being involved means you’llhelp guide what’s being taught and how, ensuring your sector’s future workforce is well-prepared.
3. Guest Talks and Site Visits: Share your story, inspire theirs
Many of our students simply don’t know what careers are out there. A short guest talk or Q&A with someone from your business can open their eyes to new roles, industries, or routes into work they’d never considered.
Guest speakers bring fresh perspectives, share personal career journeys, and provide up-to-date industry insights, helping students make informed choices about their future.
This help bridge the gap between classroom theory and practical application by exposing students to real work environments, industry practices, and professional expectations.
Even better, bring them in. Hosting a site visit or a ‘day in the life’ tour lets students see your business in action, helping demystify the world of work and get them excited about it.
Site visits allow students to see careers in action, understand workplace culture, and engage directly with professionals, which can inspire ambition and clarify career goals.
And for you? It’s a great way to showcase your workplace culture, build awareness of the skills and attitudes you expect, and get students talking about your company.
4. Mentoring: Develop your staff and our students
Employee development doesn’t have to just come from leadership courses. Ask any professional who’s mentored a student and they’ll say it was rewarding, challenging, and a fantastic way to build communication, empathy, and coaching skills.
Getting your staff involved in mentoring or delivering talks helps them feel more motivated and fulfilled when they can give back and inspire the younger generation.
Mentoring college students also sends a clear message that your company is invested in people, not just profits. And in today’s values-driven job market, that matters to job seekers.
As an employer partner, you’ll also have access to online training and webinars for your staff in areas like GDPR, equality and diversity, safeguarding, and how to provide feedback or set targets.
For students, having a mentor provides valuable support that enhances both academic success and personal growth. Mentors offer guidance on career paths, share professional insights, and help students develop key employability skills.
By the end of it, they become confident, resilient and emotionally mature young people with a clearer sense of direction for their future.
5. Business Networking: Strengthen your employer brand
Supporting your local college is more than good PR. It shows you care about your community, your sector, and the next generation. That’s good for your brand, your customers, and your people.
Speaking at colleges or mentoring students raises your profile as an industry leader that invests in the next generation. Students and parents will remember those companies that support their development, which can translate into future loyalty and interest.
It also ticks a lot of boxes around Corporate Social Responsibility strategies, especially when it comes to improving access, diversity, and inclusion in your workforce.
Many businesses value being part of a broader mission to uplift education and create opportunities, especially for underrepresented groups.
It’s also a good way to stay competitive and work collaboratively with other businesses in your region. Throughout the year, we organised various networking events for our employer partners to come together.
There are regular business breakfast meetings where we might have roundtable discussions or focus groups looking at areas like higher education needs.
We also present monthly awards to our employer partners based on our values of integrity, inclusivity, delivering and being one team. Then at the end of the year we host a big awards presentation night to recognise those employer partners who have gone above and beyond for both us and our students.
How can you partner with RNN Group?
Whether you’re a small business or large enterprise, there’s a partnership option that fits around how much time and capacity you can give.
Engaging with one of our further education colleges doesn’t require massive investment like hiring an apprentice – although we’re seeing a rise in demand for students looking to gain that hands-on experience at an early stage of their careers.
A one-hour guest talk, a single placement, or just a few mentoring sessions make a big difference. Or maybe you’d prefer to set a project, brief or competition for our students?
There are so many ways you can become an employer partner. Speak to our dedicated employer partnerships team on 01909 504777 to discuss how you could get involved.
Or why not sign up to our bi-monthly employer newsletter to see how other businesses are helping us shape the future workforce. Email marketing@rnngroup.ac.uk to be added to the mailing list.