Engage internal networks with tailored emails

Introduction

This resource is for employer engagement staff who want to make better use of the networks already around their school or college. It provides adaptable email templates for approaching staff, governors, alumni and parents, who may have links with local businesses and can help open up more opportunities for students.

Getting employers to commit to supporting students is not always easy. Employers who already have a connection to your school or college are more likely to respond because there is already some trust or familiarity. By tapping into the networks around your institution, you can reach warmer leads and make the first conversation feel less like a cold approach.

Use and adapt these email templates to prompt conversations, generate introductions and build a pipeline of employers to follow up with.
 

Before using the templates, decide which stakeholder group you are contacting, what kind of employer support you are hoping to generate, and who will follow up on any responses. This will help you tailor the message without making the first contact too long or too detailed.

Why this matters

Finding employers to support T Level students should not sit with one person or team alone. In the same way that safeguarding relies on everyone understanding their role, employer engagement works best when staff, governors, alumni and parents recognise that their own connections could help create opportunities for students.

These templates are designed to help you:

• make it simple for colleagues and stakeholders to pass leads on to you
• open doors with employers who already know and trust your school or college
• start conversations that can grow into placements, tasters or projects

Prepare further information before you send the emails

When you send these emails, some people may ask for more detail. Keep the first contact short but have a simple webpage or employer guide ready so you can respond quickly. This should explain the different ways employers can support students:

• industry placements
• short work tasters
• setting real projects
• giving careers talks

This means you are not asking for a 45-day placement as the only option from the outset. You are starting a conversation about what might be possible and giving employers different ways to get involved.

Timing and order

1. Choose your moment: 
Avoid periods when staff are overloaded (e.g. enrolment week)
2. Plan follow-up capacity: 
Only send out an email if you have the time to follow up on the leads it generates within a couple of weeks
3. Sequence your asks: 
Start with senior leadership if you want inroads to large ‘anchor’ employers, then move on to governors, staff, alumni and parents.

Nuances for different groups

• SLT: their role is to use their influence with major local employers. Follow up after events or meetings where they’ve been with large organisations – ask if there’s a contact you can connect with.
• Governors: as business leaders, they can either offer support directly through their organisation or make introductions to peers. The call-to-action should be strong here.
• Staff: more likely to have friends or family in local businesses. Make the ask simple and people-focused – do you know anyone who might help our students?
• Alumni: often still early in their careers. A softer, longer-term approach works best – let them know even a small contribution (like a taster or talk) is valuable.
• Parents: this email is deliberately broad. It references employers supporting students in general, not specifically their own child, to avoid causing concern about placement arrangements.

Adapting your context

These templates are not one-size-fits-all. You can easily adapt them to:

• focus on a specific T Level subject where you need more opportunities
• highlight a small number of students with a strong ‘people story’ (e.g. we have five digital students, all hard-working and keen to get experience)
• reflect local events or priorities (e.g. recent partnerships, awards, economic development themes)

The key is to keep the message short, student-first, and clear on the next step: whether that’s an introduction, a conversation, or pointing you to the right contact.

In summary

Use these emails to open conversations, not just to request placements. The aim is to widen your pool of engaged employers by making better use of your school or college’s internal networks, then building those conversations into tasters, projects, talks, placements or other opportunities for students over time.