Becoming a school governor through Network Rail
Governors for Schools is delighted to be working together with Network Rail to run a STEM governor programme.
Why are STEM governors needed?
STEM governors help to raise the profile of STEM careers to pupils throughout their school life, inspiring them from an early age and delivering a long-term impact.
There is an impending skills shortage in the sector – inspiring pupils at a young age and introducing them to STEM careers will help to address this.
Sign up to become a STEM governor“Our engagement with schools, and the work our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) ambassadors do, is vital. Inspiring young people to pursue STEM subjects beyond their compulsory education and to join our industry is key, to ensure we have the skills we will need in the rail industry in the future.
We are proud to partner with Governors for Schools giving Network Rail the opportunity to work with school age children, which will inform and inspire them so that they feel confident to choose STEM, and to see and relate to enough of our people to eventually choose rail as their career.”
Amit Kotecha, Senior Campaigns Manager, Network Rail.
About the role
The STEM governor role includes all the usual responsibilities of a school governor, with the addition of championing STEM subjects, monitoring STEM progress and attainment, and plugging in additional opportunities to enhance STEM education through industry links.
In general, school governors have 3 main responsibilities:
- Planning the strategic direction of the school
- Overseeing financial performance of the school and ensuring money is well spent
- Holding the headteacher or school leadership to account
Through becoming a STEM governor you can;
- Impact the long term future of your industry, by inspiring the next generation.
- Improve educational standards, particularly in STEM subjects.
- Gain leadership skills you can use in your career.
- Embed your existing skills by applying them within a different sector.
- Gain experience that contributes to your CPD, as recognised by Chartership bodies.atch this short video to learn a little more about the impact you can have.
Learn more
Support in your role
As a Network Rail employee, you’ll be given additional support in becoming a school governor through our partnership with Governors for Schools.
You will receive;
- Free access to the Governors for Schools premium eLearning resource “Become an Effective New Governor” shortly after you apply.
- Access to Governors for Schools Skills Development Tracker to track your development as a school governor and reflect on your time spent in role.
- Access to additional training events such as the termly Business Governor Network and longer form training series designed to ensure you are up to date with the education sector.
- The opportunity to become part of the STEM Governors network with access to further networking and training opportunities.
All volunteers will receive a named point of contact who will work with you to find you the right opportunity at a school needing someone with your experience and perspective. They will be more than happy to talk through any questions you may have about the role and the process.
Start your application
Support for school governors
Our training and resources are there to get you up to speed, so that you’re effective from your first day in the role. Your professional experience at Network Rail will benefit a school – you don’t have to know all the acronyms by your first meeting. The majority of our volunteers are first time school governors, and schools need this outside perspective to ensure robust decision making.
Start your applicationWebinars
Register for upcoming webinars and watch back previous sessions.
See webinarseLearning
Complete our eLearning modules to gain an overview of what to expect as a governor, along with key elements of the role, including finance and performance data.
Start eLearningApply to become a school governor today