Connect with early-stage talent

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Theory of change

FutureReach is a social enterprise that empowers young people to connect to successful futures. We are not a charity - we don't receive any grants, endowments or tax relief. Instead we focus on generating social value alongside serving our clients and meeting real business needs. We run a sustainable organisation that seeks to generate both a social and a financial return on investment for Big Issue Invest who support us. Our team has worked at the highest levels of government, in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit serving the Blair, Brown and Coalition Administrations, and at World 50 and Time Inc. The actors we work with tread the boards in the West End, have appeared in Bond films and devise award winning work. From these diverse experiences we were inspired to create an organisation that connects smart students to top companies whilst powering social mobility. Employers say they struggle to attract school leavers, apprentices and graduates who have the right skills. However, employability skills are not taught in school. We bridge this gap - here’s how we create social impact: [padder_20] The Government tends to focus on NEETs* - we think there is a gap around support for high-potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds and yet the opportunity to positively impact this group is huge. So, this is where we focus. The students we work with have the raw talent to succeed and have often achieved well academically (sometimes despite rather than because of their school). Supporting these students to access early-stage internships and giving them some training on what employers are looking for can help them maximise their potential, and put them on track for successful futures.

Employability training

Our training helps students clearly understand what skills employers want. They learn in practical terms how to showcase their existing skills and what to do next to build up new employability skills before they leave school. This helps students better manage the post-school transition and start to prepare constructively for the future. Targeting training at schools in deprived areas means we focus support on less privileged students, and thereby advance social mobility - through contributing to levelling the playing field.

Early Stage internships

Early-stage internships inculcate an upward spiral of success. The exposure to a formal work environment plus the positive brand association of a top employer on the CVs means that students gain an edge, are more able to secure subsequent internships, and finally a job on graduation. Success is positively reinforced at every stage and all interns are paid. [padder_30] *NEETs means young people who are not in employment, education or training [/grid_8] [grid_2_omega] [/grid_2_omega]