Young Enterprise
Young Enterprise helps young people across London and Essex to understand the skills they need for future employment.
The Jack Petchey Foundation has been a long-standing supporter of the work of Young Enterprise. Between 2005 and 2009 the Foundation was the sole funder of the ‘Learn to Earn’ programme across all London boroughs. This enabled nearly 100,000 young students to take part in practical activities that helped them to understand the skills and knowledge they need for different jobs and the relevance of their studies in achieving success in these, ultimately raising career aspirations.
In 2013/14 we were delighted to partner with Young Enterprise once again for a new pilot project. We launched a new ‘Employability Masterclass’ supporting 850 students across London and Essex to learn about the interview process and gain practical interview experience.
Following the success of the pilot, we are delighted to continue this partnership and significantly increase our work with young people approaching the end of their schooling. The Jack Petchey Foundation has since funded Employability Masterclasses for up to 3,000 students annually in London and Essex. These flexible, day-long sessions for Years 10-13 improve students’ chances of succeeding when they apply for higher education or as they enter the job market.
A young person participating in 2022-23 said:
The Masterclass will be really helpful because I want to be employed one day, and this will make that whole process easier. So, I’ve found particularly useful how to write CVs, what needs to be on them, and what an employer will ask about in an interview. It’s been good to think about my skills and then turn those into employability skills that I can talk about in an interview. I feel like I know more about the path to take and happier that I can do this.
Every Masterclass is delivered with the support of volunteers from the business world. These volunteers share their experiences of recruitment and the working environment. They give the students a genuine insight into the skills, attitudes and knowledge that interviewers are most often looking for.
One volunteer on a masterclass recently fed back: “there were some inspirational stories from some of the students, and I’m sure they got a lot out of it, we certainly did as well.”
Young Enterprise delivers a face-to-face masterclass, and can offer digital programmes to suit the needs of different schools and students.
If you think your school may be interested in organising one of these employability masterclasses then contact Michael Anderson, Regional Manager for London and the South East, at michael.anderson@y-e.org.uk or visit the Young Enterprise website.