Careers Inspiration For Every Child

Across July and August Form the Future delivered another successful Work Experience programme. Partnering with global companies like Abcam, PA Consulting, and MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, participating students had the chance to gain world-leading experience of working in a sector of interest to them. This year, students gained hands-on insights into biotech and cutting-edge consulting, building skills and gaining experience that will open opportunities in their future careers. 
 
These immersive work experience programmes are aimed at disadvantaged students from across the region. Students who come from low-income backgrounds, those who have barriers from disability, and young people who simply do not have role models signposting the routes into careers within their social network. 
 
Form the Future’s work in schools across the region identifies young people who would never have found and applied for these placements themselves. Together with their teachers and family, we encourage them to take the step forward and realise high growth industries are on their doorstep and need their developing talents.  

The funding we receive from GlobalGiving allows us to find and make connections with the companies that provide these placements, and deliver training to both employers and students to help them make the most of the opportunity. 

Keep an eye out for our next update in which we will be announcing a new fundraising campaign to mark our 10th Anniversary! 

In April we supported 150 students from three Primary Schools to take part in DNA Day. DNA Day celebrates STEM and sees school children all over the world take part in exciting learning activities. The students we worked with were from schools within some of the most deprived areas in our region who are less likely to experience opportunities like this.

The students had the chance to meet real scientists who taught them how to extract DNA from strawberries and provided them with genuine insight into what happens during their working day. Site visits that provide skills and insight into the working world are invaluable for young people’s intellectual development and ability to broaden their horizons. We were therefore lucky to be hosted by Illumina, an international leader in the field of genomics.

It’s thanks to the support we receive from GlobalGiving that we can connect with companies like Illumina and create impactful hands-on learning experiences. Whilst our partners can share their expertise, we bring the careers learning that enables young people to understand how to get there as well as the advice to companies on how to make their message accessible to a young audience.

Creating and delivering experiences like this is not easy. A lot of resources and skilled individuals are required to make a single day happen, and, as an organisation promoting social mobility in the most unequal city in Europe, we can’t do enough of them. Working in careers education we know better than anyone that, “nothing worth having in life comes easy”, so we’re determined to keep creating these opportunities with your support.

As for the impact a whole day in a STEM workplace has on a young person, one of the students summed it up for us:

"Imagine getting to work in a place like this every day. I'm going to be a scientist!”

Links:

• Our Impact Report for 2022/23