School governors form the England’s larges volunteer force – there are 350,000 governor places. Currently 12 per cent are unfilled, and DCSF is keen for candidates to join the governing boards across the country, especially in inner-city areas where the shortage is more noticeable.

In DCSF’s Governing the school of the future document, Derek Twigg, junior schools minister, calls for businesses to encourage staff to take up governor posts. See GovernorNet’s article for further information and to access the document. Businesses can benefit from education involvement in a number of ways, including:

• Employee development
  
• Strong and positive links with the community
  
• A more informed workforce
  
• Projecting company/business values
  
• Better customer relations/PR
  
• Opportunity to shape future workforce
  
• Demonstrate company skills

The Education Business Links website offers guidance on work experience, enterprise, professional development placements and mentoring. On the Business in the Community website's education section you will find information on education and business links, including the Partners in Leadership (PiL) scheme for head teachers and a list of events and other resources. Further information is available from TeacherNet’s A to Z of School Leadership. 

For further information about becoming a governor, see our Help schools help children article, or the School governors' one-stop shop website.