That is why we help state schools and colleges to build alumni communities. Former students can transform a young person’s confidence, motivation and skills.
Sign up to your school or college alumni network!
MP goes back to school to inspire pupils to aim high.
Shawbrook Bank and Future First work together to inspire young people in state schools near reach of Shawbrook’s offices. This included supporting Future First to pilot working in Scotland for the first time. Shawbrook also encourage their employees to sign up to their old school or college alumni network.
Future First has received two rounds of funding from the government’s Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to boost social mobility by helping prepare young people for the world of work.
In 2016, we received funding from the CEC to expand our work in the South West. The one-year programme supported 40 schools and colleges across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset to build a thriving network of former students. Across the year, we supported participating schools to sign up 6,000 of their former students and to enable 30,000 encounters between their students and alumni.
Following this success, in 2017 we received a second round of funding to help students see a world beyond their own in the government’s first six opportunity areas. We are working with 27 schools in Oldham, Blackpool, Scarborough, Norwich, Derby and West Somerset to build alumni communities which will help address identified gaps in careers and enterprise activity.
UBS have funded Future First's In-House programme in the Bridge Academy, Hackney. The programme is designed to provide the school with hands-on support from Future First staff to embed an alumni programme across the school. The Bridge Academy has their own dedicated Future Fist Alumni Officer, who spends part of their time 'in house' at the school, helping staff to build and manage their network of former students and tracking the destination of students as they leave each year.
KPMG is one of Future First’s flagship supporters. By supporting, Future First's core schools programme, KPMG is helping to connect thousands of alumni with young people in their old schools and colleges. Through KPMG’s support, Future First reached 82,850 students in 2015/16.
The Wellcome Trust and Future First partner to deliver insight days for young people at state schools in Camden. Staff from across the Trust participate, including staff from communications, research, grants and investments. The volunteers coached and supported students in creative activities designed to build students' confidence and to help them identify their skills and strengths.
Taylor Wessing and Future First partner to deliver career insight days for young people from our network of schools. The days aim to build students' confidence and increase their knowledge of a career inside a big City firm. Representatives from across the firm volunteer: from lawyers to facilities and HR to marketing.