Whether it’s our network of mentors, workplace visit and masterclass hosts, fundraisers, or internship supervisors – volunteers are central to the delivery of our programme.
For Volunteers’ Week 2023, we’re celebrating our incredible volunteers and the impact they have on the lives of young people.
Why volunteering is so important to us
We exist to boost social mobility and make sure that every young person gets the opportunity to kickstart a future they deserve – and our network of volunteers help us to do that in so many ways.
Having access to support, advice and guidance makes a transformative difference to young people’s skills, confidence and perspectives on their own futures. From communication and networking skills to discovering new career opportunities, it all has the power to transform their ability to thrive in education and employment.
“As a mentor you see the student grow – just the fact that they have somebody from a big company talking to them and treating them as an equal helps them grow their confidence and the skills that follow, irrespective of anything else.”
Wojciech Ilowski, Industry Operations Leader at Marsh and a Career Ready mentor.
Volunteering highlights
Hear from some of our mentors and volunteers on their experience with Career Ready.
“I’m from Coventry and grew up in a single parent household where no one in my family had gone to university because it didn’t seem accessible. So helping young people who otherwise might not get the opportunity resonated with me, and getting involved in the internship process came from a really personal place.”
Ayrton Dhillon, Management Consultant at Arcadis.
“I know it’s not why we volunteer, but mentoring Chriseanna has also helped me professionally. Sometimes it’s easy to get bogged down by the world of work and forget that having a career is a real achievement, and being able to pass on knowledge, advice and tips based on my own experiences have been valuable for me and acted as a real confidence booster.”
Stephanie MacDonald, Morgan Stanley, Glasgow.
“I’m passionate about helping others up the careers ladder and being part of Career Ready allowed me to do just that! I really saw how a few hours of your time and some words of wisdom can work wonders. I didn’t just teach my mentee things – we both learned from each other.”
Kate Bradbury, Brodies LLP.
“I decided to become a mentor with Career Ready to give something back to society. I wanted to demonstrate to a young person that they didn’t need the highest grades in school to have a great career. Over the last year I’ve seen my mentee go from unsure on what to specialise in, to being very focused on where her future career will take her. It’s made me see what amazing young people are out there and how important it is to bring them into the business.”
Louise Moran, CBRE.
Explore more volunteering stories here.
Watch some of our volunteering stories below.
From our students
Volunteering has the biggest impact on our young people – and here’s what they take away from their relationships with their mentors.
“My mentor, Tasmyn, has been a blessing. We formed a relationship of trust and she has shown nothing but support in me. Thanks to her, I feel much more confident in myself – I know who I am as a person and I’m fearless about my future.”
Amy, Glasgow.
“One of the benefits of having a mentor was having someone to discuss my future with. I left every meeting feeling motivated to act on what we’d discussed. The confidence I gained led me to apply to solicitor apprenticeship programmes.”
Cai, Cardiff.
“The Career Ready programme and support of Connie from Arcadis – my mentor – changed that. The programme taught me to look people in the eye. It gave me the confidence to go out on my own – it’s changed my perspective.”
Romana Aziz, Birmingham. Read her story here.
Ready to volunteer with us? Let’s look at some ways you can give back, no matter your role.
For individuals – you have the power to change a life
It’s important to remember that everyone has something to give through volunteering, regardless of their age or background. It’s not just for those in stereotypically high-powered industries or job roles – we can all make a difference to young people’s lives with our own unique blend of life experience, skills, and insights.
Here’s how you can volunteer with us:
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- Mentoring – support a student with one-to-one mentoring throughout the programme.
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- Running a masterclass – deliver a workshop to students on one of our key career skills.
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- Supervising an intern – support a Career Ready intern in your company for a paid internship over the summer.
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- Fundraising – support our work by taking part in fundraising and challenge events.
“If we can just encourage a millimetre of a shift in attitude in our students and their aspirations, it can grow exponentially into opening opportunities they never dreamed of.” Beverley Webster OBE, Malaczynski Burn
So, if you’re an individual wanting to give your time – find out about our volunteering opportunities on the site, or get in touch with your employer to see how you could support our work.
For employers – embrace volunteering
Volunteering is a fantastic initiative for businesses to support – both for employers and employees. Not only is it a great way to give back to the communities you work in, but it also helps upskill your team and boost employee wellbeing.
“Working with Career Ready is a great way to help our junior staff develop the skills needed to become managers, and it gives me the opportunity to see what potential team leaders I’ve got.”
Nancy Flint, Head of EMEA Corporate Access, Citi.
Making volunteering part of your employee engagement strategy could look like:
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- Giving time and encouragement to staff to volunteer on a regular basis
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- Promoting volunteering opportunities in internal communications channels
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- Recognising volunteering as part of employees’ professional development and goals.
For more information on how we can work together to empower young people, get in touch with us today.
“Mentoring a young person is an investment in the future.” Al Lines, Moodys.
