Future Leaders Programme
In London, young black students are more likely to be excluded from school than white British students and young black men experience high unemployment rates.
To tackle these issues, Future Leaders will support young black men in alternative provisions to make a successful transition into a post-16 destination, overcome the barriers they may face such as a lack of networks, social capital and soft skills, and prepare them to be ready to find a fulfilling career.
ThinkForward has used its expertise in coaching and employability to bring together a range of activities designed to harness the potential of our Future Leaders and inspire them to develop career aspirations based on their skills, abilities and interests. An experienced programme manager and programme coordinator will build trusted relationships and provide consistent support for 60 young black men in Year 11, for up to two and a half years. Future Leaders will reach across several London boroughs and include in-school alternative provisions and external alternative provisions.
One-to-one coaching
Students on Future Leaders will benefit from one-to-one coaching with an action plan setting out goals and how to achieve them. As with our other programmes, their progress is tracked along seven Work Readiness Capabilities which were identified by employers as being the most desirable qualities in staff. They are: self-assured, self-aware, driven, receptive, resilient, organised and good communicator. Brought together, these transferable skills help to equip young people for their future careers and promote black excellence.
Our young people will be mentored by black peers and professionals, take part in social action projects and benefit from career advice. We are currently recruiting peer mentors, if you are interested please click here for more information.
World of work
We’ll tap into our existing networks of employers and develop new partnerships to offer relevant experience of the world of work through work placements, career fairs and insight days.
Parental engagement
Parental engagement is very important to us. We believe the more parents/carers are engaged in their children’s education and aspirations, the more likely their child is to succeed. We will continuously be connecting with parents, giving updates on their child’s progress while providing opportunities to fully involve parents where necessary.
Employer engagement
The programme team will engage with employer partners to increase their awareness of the needs of the young people and encourage them to make the workplace welcoming and inclusive. This will also ensure that our young people can expand their professional and social networks whilst they embark on their future careers.
Programme background
Future Leaders has been set up as part of the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Effective Transitions Programme. In addition to the core aim of improving the life chances of young people, the GLA also wants to build evidence about what works. Future Leaders will be evaluated, and the findings used to achieve better outcomes and increase the impact of future projects working to prevent young black men becoming unemployed.
If you have any questions or would like any further information, please email:
