Birmingham's Young People - Starting a Smart Future

The Rigby Foundation are proud to have sponsored the EY Foundation's ‘Smart Futures’ programme, helping young people in Birmingham gain the skills, confidence and connections they need to succeed in the world of work.
Over the Summer, 43 students had the opportunity to experience what working life is really like, with the support of EY's business and finance professionals. The programme was created to enable pupils from underrepresented backgrounds to gain employability skills. Activities included workshops, career talks, CV and interview coaching, networking opportunities and direct engagement with employers.

Our Partnerships Lead, Jemima Waltho, delivered workshops on social enterprise and careers within the Charity sector and was a judge for the business challenge event, so she was able to see for herself how well the participants progressed in real time.

We would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to EY Foundation for working with us to recruit and support students from our Inspiring Futures partner schools. These collaborations are enabling our young people to gain the skills and the confidence they need to realise their potential.

But don't just take our word for it. Watch and listen to Abdul, one of our Birmingham students, talk about what being on the programme meant to him. https://vimeo.com/1228739190/08a45e461a?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci