Joining the Dots the Programme
Our new programme to bridge the gap between young people and the world of work, business and entrepreneurship.
The Challenge
In today's post-COVID world, traditional methods of attracting and retaining talent are no longer sufficient and businesses are struggling to find the right kind of people with the right skills and motivation.
Meanwhile, our younger generation face the daunting task of deciding their future careers without the necessary exposure to real-world work experiences.
How can they decide what they want to do, if they don’t know where their strengths lie and what they enjoy doing and if they aren’t given the chance to discover more, to hear from real people in real jobs, to get experience in different industries and types of roles and to ask questions?
We aim to bridge this gap and inspire future generations to get curious, explore their potential, and give them the confidence to make the right choices in life.
It’s a WIN-WIN for our young people and our UK businesses!
“The Joining the Dots programme, a mixture of in-person and online workshops, hands-on project work and exciting encounters to enable each student to learn more about themselves, explore opportunities and get inspired about their future.”
For Young People: Unlocking Potential and Exploring Opportunities
Work Experience: Gain hands-on experience in different industries.
Encounters: Connect with professionals to understand real-world roles.
Inspiration: Get inspired by stories of success and entrepreneurship.
Explore Opportunities: Open doors to diverse career paths.
Learn More About Yourself: Discover your strengths and interests.
Make Connections: Build a network of mentors and peers.
A Personal Portfolio: Showcase your achievements and skills.
Mentoring: Receive guidance from experienced professionals.
LAMDA qualification in Speaking in Public* (this is optional and there will be an entrance fee applicable.)
For Businesses and Employers: Building Bridges and Showcasing what you do
Build Awareness: Promote your brand, products, and services.
Connect with Young People: Engage with your future talent.
Highlight your Future Needs and Skills: and help influence the next generation.
Improve the Skills Gap: Get involved and facilitate the development of the right skills.
Share Knowledge: Become a Mentor and support and inspire our students.
Showcase Your Business: Increase visibility in the community.
CSR and PR Opportunities: Share your involvement in a noble cause.
Be a Force for Good: Give back and support the next generation.
Events to Attend: Engage with like-minded professionals and grow your network.
Certificate and Badge: Publicly display your commitment to the programme.
How It Works
A maximum of 12 participants in each team.
An 11-month syllabus based on 6 core modules to enable our students to gain a better understanding of themselves and the world of work.
Each core module is linked to a real-life project for our partner organisation Take Part, (think The Apprentice) where the teams will gain practical and hands-on experience as they test out their new skills and knowledge.
Weekly sessions throughout term time on Monday evenings, with a mix of in-person at The Coach House, online workshops and events via Zoom or special out and about encounters, as well as some behind the scenes homework between sessions.
Each student will have their own dedicated mentor to help them build a personal development plan and create their own portfolio to showcase their strengths and capture their experience within the programme.
The opportunity to achieve the LAMDA Speaking in Public Exam at the end of the programme.
What's Included
Real-life projects working with our partner Take Part.
Monthly themed workshops.
Personal development workshops and tools.
One-on-one mentoring.
Encounters with people from the world of business and training and development.
Creation of a personal portfolio.
LAMDA exam preparation (ongoing).
And more as the programme develops…
Commitment to Excellence
One of the aims of this project is to introduce participants to what will be expected of them in the world of work, the key qualities and character traits. With this in mind, each participant (and their parent (carer)) will be invited to sign a Fairplay Agreement and asked to commit to showing up in the right way to the project, such as respecting other members of the team, being on time for meetings, doing what they say they will and doing their best.
Your Investment
Our goal is for the programme to be fully funded through corporate donations and grant funding, however we do ask for a nominal commitment of £20/month to support the not-for-profit scheme.
We aim to be fully inclusive, please get in touch to discuss options available, we don’t want any student to miss out on the opportunity to take part in the programme.
Would you like to get involved and support the programme?
We want to be able to create as many encounters and opportunities for our students to help them unlock their potential and get inspired. We’re looking for business owners, local employers and other key people like you from different backgrounds, with different experience and skills and from a variety of industries and roles to come and speak to the students, share your stories and showcase what you do.
That’s why we’re building the ‘Joining the Dots’ Club to help us to welcome you to the programme, keep you up to date with what’s happening and let you know how to get involved. We want to encourage you to share more about your business, your future plans and what you are looking for from future employees so that we can join the dots and help bridge the gap between the two worlds.
Finally, this is still a work in progress and just the beginning of the programme which means we won’t get everything right straight away. We would love to hear your thoughts, ideas and ways we can improve and make sure that we can support as many young people as possible to get curious, explore their potential, and give them the confidence to make the right choices in life.
Find out more
You can learn about the inspiration for this new programme by listening to Episode 43 of The Future-Proof your Business Podcast with me, Lucy Rennie.
Our brilliant partner TAKE PART
Take Part believes in making a difference to individuals and ultimately changing lives. It serves as an invitation to belong, to join others in an alternative vision of the future – moving forward to make happier, more fulfilled lives, igniting a passion for performance and promoting more creative communities. We exist for the primary benefit of others.