Career Ready
Impact Report 2020
Our review of the year:
12 months, 12 stories from across our network
12 months, 12 stories
Join us on a review of a year that needs little introduction.
Told through the experiences of our students, alumni, volunteers, schools, and employers.
OUR YEAR
My first 12 months in post.
Our people
Our team
Our People
Real people who make a real difference, our network.
our partnerships
The schools and colleges preparing young people for their next stepsOur partnerships
Our employer supporters and funders investing in our future workforce
virtual reality
The people behind our COVID response
Our programmes
Our programmes
Our alumni
Our impact
Our research
Career Ready at 18Our next steps
A strategy and COVID recovery plan with young people at its heart
I joined Career Ready at the start of 2020. This is my second charity CEO role and even though my leadership journey began 15 years ago I still cherish the opportunity to reflect and learn from my experiences and colleagues. This year, despite everything, we delivered more activities by March than we had in the entire previous year, but lockdown did not stop us there.
Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa
CEO, Career Ready
Our year
Adapting to a year like no other
The past year has posed challenges like nothing we’ve ever faced, changing the world around us.
Education has been disrupted, workplace opportunities have been cancelled, futures have been put on hold.
Yet our commitment to young people remained the same, and we’re proud of how everything we achieved helped give them the best possible networks of support to young people.
Despite everything, our reach was greater than ever, our achievements a testament to our incredible partnerships with schools and colleges, volunteers and employers.
I wanted to create an open forum for students to participate in while studying from home. Lockdown must have been an especially difficult time to seek advice on how to transition from education to employment. This has been an important learning opportunity for me too.
Jasmine Sanghera
Senior Associate, Silicon Valley Bank
Our COVID response
Virtual reality
In response to COVID, we worked closely with our network to launch a series of digital events to give young people meaningful employer engagement and skill development opportunities despite school closures.
My paid internship at Citi was a great step into the professional world, it opened my eyes to what’s available to me and help me to plan my next steps – an apprenticeship in finance.
Juwon Davies
City of London Academy
Leidos Student of the Year, South of England
Our programmes
Business as usual
Helping young people from all backgrounds kick start their futures, gain employment and fulfil their potential is more important than ever. I really look forward to seeing how Career Ready’s planned projects, with the support of the Social Business Trust, will scale up their growth and impact.
Adele Blakebrough
CEO, Social Business Trust
Our COVID response
Virtual reality
To support young people through the COVID pandemic, we launched a series of digital events to deliver meaningful employer engagement, helping young people to develop their skills and experience.
Virtual Work Experience (VWEX)
I came to Belfast as a refugee. My first year here was lonely but I’ve built a network I can count on. The support from my college and all the people I’ve met through Career Ready have changed my life.
Ailin Attarzadeh
Career Ready Student of the Year
Mentored by Ciara from Santander
Internship at Citi, Belfast
Our programmes
A journey to Career Ready
To support young people through the COVID pandemic, we launched a series of digital events to enable us to continue to deliver meaningful employer engagement, and young people to continue to develop their skills and experience.
Virtual Work Experience (VWEX)
I wanted to create an open forum for students to participate in while studying from home. Lockdown must have been an especially difficult time to seek advice on how to transition from education to employment. This has been an important learning opportunity for me too.
Jasmine Sanghera
Senior Associate, Silicon Valley Bank
Our COVID response
Virtual reality
To support young people through the COVID pandemic, we launched a series of digital events to enable us to continue to deliver meaningful employer engagement, and young people to continue to develop their skills and experience.
Virtual Work Experience (VWEX)
I wanted to create an open forum for students to participate in while studying from home. Lockdown must have been an especially difficult time to seek advice on how to transition from education to employment. This has been an important learning opportunity for me too.
Jasmine Sanghera
Senior Associate, Silicon Valley Bank
Our COVID response
Virtual reality
To support young people through the COVID pandemic, we launched a series of digital events to enable us to continue to deliver meaningful employer engagement, and young people to continue to develop their skills and experience.
Virtual Work Experience (VWEX)
We will only achieve true social mobility if we actively even up the playing field. A mentor can be a sounding board, can answer difficult questions. Being a mentor has helped me in my career too. I’m a better listener and accept I don’t always have the answer. Mentoring is a life changing experience – go for it!
Edward Keelan, Octopus Investments
Career Ready Mentor of the Year
Our people
Whether it’s as a mentor, a masterclass presenter, hosting a virtual intern or contributing to our digital skills video series – we could not have adapted and responded so positively to the challenges of 2020 without our committed network of volunteers.
Despite the uncertainty, 74% of our mentors have reregistered with us to mentor again in 2021; 99% would recommend volunteering with Career Ready.
Real people, real change
our people
Whether it’s as a mentor, a masterclass presenter, hosting a virtual intern or contributing to our digital skills video series – we could not have adapted and responded so positively to the challenges of 2020 without our committed network of volunteers.
Despite the uncertainty, 74% of our mentors have reregistered with us to mentor again in 2021; 99% would recommend volunteering with Career Ready.
I wanted to create an open forum for students to participate in while studying from home. Lockdown must have been an especially difficult time to seek advice on how to transition from education to employment. This has been an important learning opportunity for me too.
Jasmine Sanghera
Senior Associate, Silicon Valley Bank
Our partnerships with employers and funders
Virtual reality
To support young people through the COVID pandemic, we launched a series of digital events to enable us to continue to deliver meaningful employer engagement, and young people to continue to develop their skills and experience.
Virtual Work Experience (VWEX)
We’ve been running the Career Ready programme since 2009. Our students perform better and grow as people, they push on and achieve their goals, gaining opportunities they thought were totally out of reach.
Dan Reeds, Coordinator
Blackpool Sixth Form College
Career Ready School of the Year
Our partnerships with school and colleges
School and colleges
To support young people through the COVID pandemic, we launched a series of digital events to enable us to continue to deliver meaningful employer engagement, and young people to continue to develop their skills and experience.
Virtual Work Experience (VWEX)
I wanted to create an open forum for students to participate in while studying from home. Lockdown must have been an especially difficult time to seek advice on how to transition from education to employment. This has been an important learning opportunity for me too.
Jasmine Sanghera
Senior Associate, Silicon Valley Bank
Our COVID response
Virtual reality
To support young people through the COVID pandemic, we launched a series of digital events to enable us to continue to deliver meaningful employer engagement, and young people to continue to develop their skills and experience.
Virtual Work Experience (VWEX)
Career Ready does exactly what it says on the tin. I felt inexperienced. My mentor, Angela, helped build my confidence, advised me on career paths and CV writing. My internship at Halifax was really rewarding. Now, I am volunteering as a mentor and LAB member for Career Ready. Now, more than ever, we must support young people.
Brittany Peacock, alumni
Trafford College, Manchester
Our next steps
Young people at the heart of our recovery
To support young people through the COVID pandemic, we launched a series of digital events to enable us to continue to deliver meaningful employer engagement, and young people to continue to develop their skills and experience.
Virtual Work Experience (VWEX)