“As well as the obvious benefits of supporting schools and students in my local community, spending a session a month in a school helps me encourage interest and a strong employment pool for the future of my business. It's also a great way for me to keep reflecting on what I love about my career and to hear some really interesting and fresh perspectives.”

Talbot Jones

Founders4Schools is an award winning educational-tech charity which connects children and young people with inspirational role models to raise their aspirations, fulfil their potential and prepare them for the rapidly changing world of work. 

With the ELITE ecosystem inundated with successful, motivational and inspirational entrepreneurs, founders and senior leaders, we would welcome the opportunity to collaborate and connect our youth with such powerful role models. 

Founders4Schools was founded by Serial Entrepreneur, Angel Investor and board member of the London Stock Exchange, Sherry Coutu CBE, in 2011. Working within the tech sector, Sherry realised that there was a need to prepare children and young people for the ever-changing workplace and an opportunity to use the latest technology to level the playing field and improve social mobility. 

To help solve this problem, we have created a simple, free-to-use digital platform which enables teachers all over the UK to connect with employers and professionals in their local community. In as little as 4 minutes, educators from primary schools, secondary schools and colleges, can organise a variety of events for their students, such as careers fairs, mentoring sessions, interview practice and career talks, helping to expand their horizons and putting them on the path to a brighter future. 

We have thousands of willing business leaders and professionals signed up to our platform, ready to volunteer. From global businesses such as Lloyds Banking Group and Virgin Atlantic, to successful enterprises such as Unruly (an ELITE company) and Mind Candy, educators are easily able to select individuals who suit their requirements and will most inspire their students.

“Utterly amazing afternoon helping year ten student from challenging backgrounds to gain confidence in interviewing. They were amazing and inspired me far more than I ever could them. Please volunteer to help. Amazing charity.”

Alex Proud, Founder, Proud Galleries 

We know that if a young person receives four student-employer encounters in their time at school, they are 86% less likely to become NEET (not in education, employment or training). However, as well as having a positive impact on the lives of young people, volunteering through Founders4Schools also has benefits for you and your employees: 

● We offer a flexible and easy way to volunteer - you can accept invitations to events that fit in with your schedule and are convenient for you to get to. 

● Our school events are an opportunity for your junior staff to learn and improve their skills in public speaking, delivering presentations, taking interviews and mentoring. Good for the students and good for your business. 

● By helping to raise the aspirations of young people, you and your employees are playing a crucial role in helping to encourage interest in your business and in building a talent pipeline for the future. 

● Through our insight pages, you can see exactly what impact you are having. You can track how many of your employees have volunteered, how many events they have attended and how many young people they have helped. 

Since 2015, through our scalable platform, we have facilitated over 1.1M student-employer encounters, supported and inspired over 330,000 children and young people and have delivered events in over 60% of the local authorities in England and Scotland.

To find out more about Founders4Schools and how you can get involved, please visit our website: www.founders4schools.org.uk. 

Building on our success, we are delighted to have recently launched Maths4Girls in partnership with 100 Women in Finance, an exciting new initiative which aims to address the low levels of girls taking maths beyond GCSEs. Our platform will enable teachers to invite inspiring maths role models from their local communities into their classrooms, to debunk the myth that maths is a male subject and improve confidence and attitudes towards maths. Our long-term goal is that this will lead more young girls into maths oriented sectors such as finance and alternative investment. Our pilot launched in July 2019 and we intend to roll out nationwide in 2020. 

“I found the Maths4Girls programme really rewarding and a great way to encourage girls to study maths for longer.”

Vicky Snow, Varde

We are currently looking for more volunteers to take part in this project. If you would like to find out more, please email maths4girls@founders4schools.org.uk or visit our website here.