Teenagers take first steps onto career ladder this summer, with help from major UK employers
Thursday 29 July
Almost 800 young people, aged 16-19, from schools and colleges across the UK are taking their first steps onto the career ladder this summer as they don business suits and forgo their holidays to undertake six week internships with a huge range of UK employers.
Lloyds Banking Group, Morgan Stanley, John Lewis, Accenture, BUPA, Sheffield City Council and Strathclyde Police are among the 350 organisations - from SMEs to global corporations - giving students on the Career Academy programme the opportunity to experience the world of work and put the skills and knowledge they have learnt at school or college into practice.
Career Academies provide once in a lifetime business networks and experiences for young people from diverse urban backgrounds and areas of social need who would not normally have access to such opportunities. Nearly 90% of Career Academy graduates progress on to higher education or into a job with an equivalent level of training, compared with the 40% predicted to do so at the start of the course. The students get to develop a range of skills including communication and confidence. They learn how to spot opportunities, overcome challenges and implement ideas.
Last year Lauren Wright from All Saints High School in Liverpool spent the summer working with insurance company RSA. She said: "My colleagues set me a wide range of tasks, so that I could gain a better understanding of what jobs people do and how each one fits into the organisation. It was so helpful to meet new people and learn new things from them. I discovered how teams operate and also how they rely on other teams for support, not just their own.
"Overall the experience was amazing as it helped me realise that working is less daunting than I first imagined. The experience was invaluable and as a teenager you can't really get the same thing anywhere else."
And the programme does not just benefit the students. James McCreary, Chief Executive of Career Academies UK, explains: "Engaging with young people through the Career Academy programme brings many benefits to the businesses and employee volunteers involved. Often employers are pleasantly surprised by the quality of what the interns have to offer, including a fresh approach and creative ideas.
"At the same time, supervising interns presents a great opportunity to develop the leadership and management skills of young staff. Just ask companies like Lloyds or Yorkshire Bank and they will be glad to tell you the value that these young people can add to a business."
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