This study, commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), is designed to review current evidence on the most effective ways in which employers can support schools to improve pupil educational and economic outcomes. It is a study in three parts. It aims, first, to conceptualise employer engagement in education as a strategic tool, developing a new typology to make sense of it, second, to review high quality research literature through the lens of the new typology, and, finally, to discuss the practical implications of the study for policy-makers and practitioners. The paper, moreover, seeks to provide an evidenced overview of promising approaches and programmes to support schools intending to undertake activities with employers. The report assesses the prospective impacts of employer engagement in terms of both educational and economic outcomes, focusing on pupils in both primary and secondary education.

Specifically, the study:

• identifies the different types of employer engagement in terms of what is intended by policy-makers and users and the related evidenced outcomes;
• identifies areas and interventions of promise, highlighting where further research is needed; and
• identifies key features of successful practice.