Supporting the Next Generation
At DBS Digital, we believe that being a great business means more than delivering great work for our clients. It means playing an active role in the community we are part of.
That belief is something our Managing Director, Julie Priestley, puts into practice through her work with the Greater Lincolnshire Careers Hub. Since joining the programme as an Enterprise Adviser in late 2022, Julie has shared her knowledge, her career story, and her time with over 500 students across Lincolnshire schools and colleges.
what is an Enterprise Adviser?
The Enterprise Adviser programme is run by the Careers & Enterprise Company through local Careers Hubs. Enterprise Advisers are senior business volunteers who bridge the gap between schools and businesses, working closely with Careers Leaders as a trusted critical friend.
The objective is to support schools to develop, review and strengthen their careers strategy, ensuring young people gain access to meaningful, employer-informed experiences that genuinely prepare them for the world of work.
For Julie, the role felt like a natural extension of her values as a business owner and as someone who grew up and built her career right here in Lincolnshire.
The Give an Hour initiative
Not every business is in a position to take on the full Enterprise Adviser role, and the Careers Hub recognises that. The Give an Hour initiative offers a lower commitment alternative. Just 60 minutes of a business leader’s time in a school can open doors for young people and broaden their understanding of what their future could look like.
Both routes make a real difference, and both start with a single decision to get involved.
Julie’s involvement in Lincolnshire schools
Since joining the Careers Hub, Julie has worked with a number of institutions across the region. These are some of the ways she has helped, both as an Enterprise Adviser and through “The Give an Hour” initiative.
At Riseholme College, where Julie herself studied Business Studies after leaving school, she has served on the careers advisory board. This involves employer discussion groups that connect what students are learning with what businesses are actually experiencing in the workplace today.
At Pembroke Priory Academy, Cherry Willingham, Julie has visited the school both as an assembly speaker and in classroom-based sessions. She has spoken with pupils about the roles within DBS Digital, the skills those roles require, and her own career path from a Riseholme College student to Managing Director of a 100% employee-owned business.
At North Kesteven School, Julie joined a panel of six employers to answer questions from sixth-form students about their experiences in the working world, before breaking into smaller groups for more in-depth conversations
In addition to her own school visits, Julie has actively connected other businesses in her network with the Careers Hub, helping to widen the pool of employers supporting young people across Greater Lincolnshire.
Why it matters
It is easy to forget what it felt like to be at school, unsure of what a workplace actually looks like or how terrifying the prospect of a job interview can be. The things that seem obvious to an experienced business owner, what employers are genuinely looking for, what different roles involve day to day, and how career paths rarely follow a straight line, are exactly the things young people most need to hear.
DBS Digital previously offered work experience placements, but as a fully remote business, this is no longer something we are able to provide in the traditional sense. The Careers Hub gives Julie and the wider DBS Digital team a meaningful way to continue investing in Lincolnshire’s future workforce.
Could you play a part?
If you are a business owner or leader in Lincolnshire and you would like to find out more about what it means to be part of the Careers Hub, Julie would love to hear from you. Connect with Julie on LinkedIn or get in touch with the team via our contact page and we will point you in the right direction.
