Furness Education & Skills Partnership
Strengthening the partnership between education and business in the Furness area since 2011
Awarded charitable status in 2019
Helping students in the Furness area to build skills and aspirations
Furness Education & Skills Partnership (FESP) is a partnership of schools, colleges, local employers and agencies which recognise the need to equip local young people with the knowledge, skills and aspirations relevant to a competitive 21st century marketplace.
Examples of our Projects
The Barrow Engineering Project (BEP) raises the profile of Engineering in the local area. It enriches STEM attainment of learners within the project through the existing curriculum and extra-curricular activities.
The BEP is supported by the Royal Academy of Engineers and the Sir John Fisher Foundation.
The ‘Build my Skills’ programme is designed to equip young people with the necessary skills and competences to make them more employable.
There is a programme of study across all 4 Key Stages (KS1-4).
The Furness STEM Show took place on the 11th and 12th of March 2025 at Furness College, Barrow-in-Furness. It was attended by 1400 students from 33 different schools.
The event delivered a host of activities for primary and secondary age children to discover and be inspired by STEM subjects and activities.
Step up and Play is a project being delivered by four schools in Central Barrow-in-Furness, working together outside school time, with the support of Furness Education & Skills Partnership.
The project makes sure that children aged 4-11 in Central Barrow get as many chances as everyone else to join a local sports club if they wish. It does this by enabling children to attend training, practices and competitions.
As an outcome of the global pandemic, many children have lost interest in education and are struggling with motivation and learning focus.
This project was designed to help the children look to the future, think about jobs they may like to have and the skills they need to develop.
Providing children and young people with the opportunity to develop and exercise leadership (and in a social action setting) can have benefits for the individual young person, their peer group and society more broadly.
Our Holiday Camps enable businesses to connect with local communities and forge ongoing links with local schools and raise their profile in the local community.
Aims & Objectives
Collaborate
Establish balanced & effective local education & business partnerships to raise awareness of potential career pathways
Inspire
Raise aspirations by providing current, real-world applied learning opportunities in all three education phases
Equip
To develop those transferable skills which will aid young people at key transition points in their education and into the world of work
Helping the future workforce reach their full potential
We facilitate projects, events and links which enable and drive enterprise, innovation and long term growth in the local, regional and national economy.
Education and skills – the foundation for growth and prosperity: a role for employers in the education of children they will one day employ
Primary School Students Build Skills for the Future at 3-Day Children’s Skills Conference
The Children’s Skills Conference for Primary Schools, organised by Furness Education & Skills Partnership (FESP), took place from 21st to 23rd January 2025 at Furness
Barrow school pupils learn about green energy during factory tour
Year 6 pupils from Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School enjoyed a factory tour of Oxley Group at the start of their Green Careers Project which
Primary school pupils will develop a good relationship with money
Primary school pupils will develop a good relationship with money through the expansion of a financial education programme. Schools across Barrow, Dalton and Ulverston will