Dear Members,
I hope this message finds you well.
I am delighted to have this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Chair of the EBEA and I fully recognise the privilege of being part of this community and at such an exciting time for its continuing development. Jo Bentham has been an excellent Chair, as much for who she is, with her natural humility, care for colleagues and continual encouragement as well as her credibility as an excellent practitioner and leadership capabilities. Under the leadership of Jo, and working closely with Gareth Taylor, editor of the journal, we have seen the organisation restructured and an updating of the purpose and ambition of the association. I have a lot to learn from Jo, and I am pleased to say, she will continue as a trustee and I look forward to continuing to learn from her expertise. We are also seeing a change in roles as Gareth becomes Head of Professional Development and Adrian Lyons takes on the role of editor of the journal.
The updated purpose and priorities of the EBEA are outlined below. Not only will you see this on our webpage and LinkedIn, but you will recognise this in the activities that we promote whether you are a member of one of our forums, contribute to the journal, or attending the Bank of England Economics conference or participate in our advocacy work.
Our core mission at the EBEA is to improve the economic and business understanding and capability of learners in schools and colleges. We regard this as vital not only to their personal and professional life chances but to the well-being of society locally, nationally, and internationally.
To achieve this, we prioritize:
- Support for Teachers and Educators: We provide forums for business and economics teachers and initial teacher educators to share expertise and experience.
- Professional Development: We deliver professional development for teachers through information, resources, training, and opportunities to disseminate their practice.
- Promotion of Education: We work with government departments, awarding bodies, employers, and other organizations to promote business, economics, and enterprise education.
I am keen to hear your ideas and feedback on how we can make our association even more impactful, and we are exploring different ways of doing this. In the meantime, please contact me directly with your ideas or questions.
Thank you for your continuing support and look forward to working with you to enhance all that we are doing to support you and the subject area.
With best wishes,
Helena Knapton
Chair, Economics, Business and Enterprise Education Association
