The Need
Research shows there is a mismatch between the skills young people believe employers want and the skills they believe they have. Karen Bentley, Progression Manager at Coombe Sixth Form School, set out to create a programme that would help young people identify how they can add value to organisations as well as provide careers education.

Our Solution
Coombe Sixth Form located in Surrey, in the UK, were invited to be take part in a sponsored employability programme which incorporated The Young People Index®. A finance company embarked on a Corporate Social Responsibility project with the goal to help prepare young people for the world of work. 30 students were invited along to a half-day programme, consisting of 3 bespoke workshops:

Discover Your Impact: Students discovered more about what energises them through their Young People Index® profiles. There was an emphasis on helping students understand environments where they will thrive, not survive.

Team Dynamics: This insight helped the students to align their team working inclinations to the key director roles that Company Programme requires at the start.

Your Future Impact: A big part of the session concentrated on aligning personal values to organisational values. Students were asked to research an organisation that they find interesting and explore their values and beliefs to see if they are aligned to their own.

These exercises helped students understand how they can:

• Add value as an individual and as part of a team
• Work for an organisation that is aligned to their values
• Research potential employers
• Prepare themselves for interviews

Students not only reported increased self-esteem and self-belief but many students used what they had learnt to make practical plans for their future.

“As careers educators and schools, it’s important we look for ways to bridge the gap when it comes to social inequality and help level the playing field. The Young People Index® provides a great opportunity to do this by making students who might feel disengaged or demotivated actually feel good about themselves and provide a plan.”

Karen Bentley
Progression Manager
Coombe Sixth Form