EMPLOYABILITY
never set foot outside of Bradford.
You can imagine the excitement.
Each student had a panel interview
and they did so well. The year before,
they wouldn’t have known what to
do in that situation.”
Noticeable improvements
Participants
Control group*
How participants benefited
51 %
22 %
56 %
stated that their ambitions and
aspiration had improved a lot
43 %
11 %
17 %
felt their awareness of education and
training routes had improved a lot
* Young people of the
same demographic in the
same schools who did
not participate in the
programme.
35 %
said their motivation
had improved a lot
55 %
felt their knowledge of how to solve
problems in the workplace/at school had
improved a lot
53 %
According to extensive evidence
gathered during evaluation, the
programme provided students with
greater self-belief and a better
understanding of what is valued in
the workplace.
Participants gained transferrable
skills that are essential for success
at work. Their aspirations became
clear and they began to realise the
importance of working to achieve
these career goals.
Overall, around 90% of the
participants showed noticeable
improvements in most or all of these
areas. Ongoing analysis will assess
long-term outcomes such as
students’ post-16 destinations and
GCSE results.
The model will be tested with
other year groups and delivered
across different timescales to
further identify solutions to the
barriers young people face.
Mackey concludes: “The boys
from this pilot are now in Year 11 and
still have some engagement with
their mentors. We’re now looking at
other groups who need our support,
including looked-after children.
“We’re also sharing our materials
w i t h g ove r n me nt a nd ot he r
corporates to see if they want to
take the pilots forward. We have a
programme that works and content
set up, so we’re quite happy to share
it. It’s such an important issue
to tackle.”
33 %
said they felt a lot more prepared
to make future career decisions
45 %
22 %
noted that their understanding of their
strengths and skills had improved a lot
ABOUT BARCLAYS LIFESKILLS
The LifeSkills programme inspires and supports 11- to 24-year-olds by providing
them with key employability skills to help them succeed in the world of work. The
programme brings together educators, businesses, young people and parents.
barclayslifeskills.com
FUTURE TALENTED // 15