1,100 young people aged 16-18 across England and Scotland are gaining vital workplace skills and experience this summer via paid internships, helping to boost their social mobility and future employment outcomes.

As part of the Career Ready programme, 378 employers of all sizes and across all sectors are opening their doors to young people for four-weeks and giving them the practical experience and support they need to kickstart their futures. Each young person also has a dedicated professional mentor for 12-18 months.

Evidence shows that the Career Ready programme enables young people to gain vital skills and progress to positive post-school destinations, as well as for employers to connect with future talent. It comes at a time of critical need, with the Institute of Fiscal Studies stating that social mobility is at its lowest point for 50 years.

  • 99% of Career Ready students go onto sustained work, education, or apprenticeships following the programme
  • 90% of interns said the experience helped them develop key employability skills
  • 91% of employers would hire their Career Ready intern

The four-week paid internships will start on 23 June in Scotland and 7 July in England. Working within a team and supported by a dedicated line manager, the young people will network with colleagues, develop important employability skills, and contribute to real projects.

Career Ready CEO, Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, said:

“There’s never been a more critical moment to invest in young talent. Social mobility is harder now than at any point in the last 50 years. An effective way to fix this is for employers to invest in young people via paid internships and mentoring. We urge more businesses to join us in helping young people to launch their careers.”

The employers taking practical action to invest in young people on the Career Ready programme include some of the UK’s leading employers such as Allianz, Aegon, BlackRock, BP, BNP Paribas, British Land, CBRE, Diageo, Evelyn Partners, Harbour Energy, Morgan Stanley, NatWest, PA Consulting, Permira, SEGRO, SMBC the Scottish Government, SSE, Thomas Miller, Turner & Townsend 

Career Ready is a UK social mobility charity that links schools and colleges with employers to prepare young people for the world of work. Career Ready was founded in 2002 and currently works across England and Scotland to support young people from underrepresented backgrounds by delivering a targeted programme of a paid internships and mentor, workplace visits, and skills masterclasses. 

To find out more please contact tom.rippon@careerready.org.uk, Head of Communications