
SECONDARY & POST 16 PROGRAMMES
Our secondary programmes are designed boost the life and employability skills of young people. Programmes range from developing CVs, preparing applications, engaging with employers, receiving qualified career guidance and mentoring and other ways to develop transferrable skills via practical experience.
Careers Days:
We train business volunteers to host engaging workshops around their job roles, education, careers path and day-to-day life. Careers Days are a chance for students to discover more about potential options available to them. The labour market is changing rapidly, but we still believe it’s valuable for young people to meet and share the experience of working professionals.

Your Hired:
Your Hired equips students with essential skills and qualities for success in the workplace. Through engaging activities, participants will explore transferable skills, agile working practices, goal setting, and professional workplace behaviours. Students will also gain valuable insights into crafting impactful CVs and mastering interview techniques, all guided by experienced volunteers from various professional backgrounds.
Download – programme overviews

BOSS Day:
BOSS Day (Building Opportunity and Skills Seminar), is a full day session for year 10 and 11 students, focusing on essential skills such as CV writing, interview techniques, skills identification, and preparing for work experience. It’s one of our flagship programmes and is aimed at raising aspirations and realising opportunities. Volunteers give tried and tested seminars to groups of students, sharing experiences to develop skills and confidence.
Download – programme overviews

Enterprise Day:
In collaboration with employer partners, we design customised workshops tailored to reflect their specific industry and work environment. Examples include building an investment portfolio to negotiating a takeover activity. The programme emphasizes developing key skills such problem solving, team work, and communication, with content crafted to align with the expertise of our business volunteers.

Financial Literacy:
Our half-day financial literacy workshop, led by volunteers from the diverse professional sectors, empowers students to build confidence in managing money. Through interactive sessions, students are encouraged to challenge their ideas and preconceptions about money and finance. This engaging workshop goes beyond basic money management, helping young people explore the broader concept of money, its role in society and how financial decisions impact their future.

Mock Interviews:
We train business volunteers to conduct one-to-one mock interviews, either at school or a place of work. This is a straightforward opportunity for young people to practise and develop interview skills, often for the the first time. They are given personalised feedback, so that they can tackle future interviews for work experience, college, apprenticeship or university and eventually ….. a job.

Mentoring:
We pair students with a trained mentor and facilitate in-person and virtual meetings throughout the academic year. We also use our in-house e-mentoring platform which allows accessible and safe communication between mentor and mentees outside of in-person meetings. The programme supports students in reaching personal, academic, and career targets, as well as building communication and organisation skills.

Innovation Week:
Innovation Week offers students the opportunity to work in small groups on an exciting project set by one of our partner organisations. The programme includes a range of interaction elements, such as an initial workshop with industry professionals, a workplace visit and a careers carousel. Throughout the week, students develop key employability skills including problem solving, team work, and public speaking, all while gaining valuable insights from employees across different sectors. This immersive experience helps prepare students for the future world of work.

Bespoke Workshops:
