Wellington Place inspires local students

Companies based at Wellington Place welcomed sixty Year 10 students from local secondary schools, Dixons Unity Academy, Roundhay School, Mount St. Mary’s Catholic High School, and Temple Moor High School, to take part in life skills workshops and networking sessions designed to introduce them to the world of work, boost their confidence and explore future career prospects.

The workshops were developed to teach the students life skills, and were chosen based on recent research by The Employability Badge, which revealed areas where employers felt young people might be in need of extra help. These included financial freedom, wellbeing, and lifestyle planning.

The sessions were led by businesses from the Wellington Place community, including Burendo, ghd, Willis Tower Watson, Buro Happold, Redmayne Bentley and Equifax.

After the workshops, students had the opportunity to put their new skills into practice by taking part in a networking session which encouraged them to lead the conversations with volunteers from the business community.

The development of transferrable essential skills, such as teamworking and communication, were also included in the day, through challenges where students were encouraged to be independent and work as a team to locate each business ahead of each workshop.

A year 10 student said: “I liked how we learned about different jobs which usually aren’t talked about”.

And another commented: “It helped me build my confidence and communication skills.”

The Enrichment Festival is one of a number of events held annually as part of an initiative tailored to inspire, empower, and elevate young people.

The programme is designed to build life skills while introducing students to the diverse range of professional pathways offered at Wellington Place.

The initiatives focus on partnering with schools whose students face barriers and have been carefully designed to engage pupils from various age groups to offer positive opportunities.

They include a Women of the Future event, and a newly introduced Ecology Series, encouraging sustainable thinking and green skills with Key Stage 2 students.

All of the students who took part in the programme last year said it increased their self-belief and their understanding of how to get into different careers as well as improving their speaking and listening skills.

And 96 per cent of students said the programme made them think more about their own future goals.

Dominique Murray, Marketing Manager and Head of Customer Experience at MEPC, said: “We’re extremely passionate about bringing together our customers and utilising Wellington Place as a genuine force for good in our community.

“We’re so proud to have yet again hosted a hugely successful Enrichment Festival, thanks to the generosity of the participating businesses.

"Through the series of carefully crafted workshops and engaging networking sessions they delivered we’ve been able to provide students insight into modern working environments, teach valuable life skills and raise their confidence levels.”

Ahead Partnership supports the private sector to design and deliver social value projects to overcome inequality, promote opportunity and positively impact wider society.

Megan Lipp, Head of Development at Ahead Partnership, added: “It’s been found that four or more contacts with employers while still at school can cut a young person’s chance of unemployment by 86 per cent (Education and Employers Taskforce).

"This is why our partnership with Wellington Place is so valuable, as together we can offer young people first-hand experiences of modern workplaces, equip them with essential skills to help them thrive and build aspirations for their future careers.

“This year has been an overwhelming success yet again, and we’re so pleased to hear the students coming away with new thoughts, ideas, and a sense of confidence that they can achieve whatever they put their mind to both today and in the future.”

For more information about Wellington Place, please visit: www.wellingtonplace.co.uk/