We are delighted to be shortlisted in the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards in the Community Partner category.

The nomination in this prestigious award acknowledges our long-standing partnership with ICG Asset Management. Established in 2012, it’s now at the start of its second five-year collaboration.

Through ThinkForward, ICG links with LEAP (London East Alternative Provision school). Their financial contribution funds a ThinkForward coach who supports 40 young people – 10 students in each year group from Years 10 through to 13, for four years. Excluded from mainstream school, they are more at risk of becoming NEET (not in employment, education or training).

In addition to supporting the provision of the coach, the partnership is successful because ICG staff are also very firmly integrated through business mentor volunteering and hosting work experience.

Kevin Munday, ThinkForward CEO said: ‘We are delighted that the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards judges have recognised the value and uniqueness of ThinkForward’s fantastic partnership with ICG and the London East Alternative Provision School in Tower Hamlets, whose pupils are at increased risk of leaving school without a job, employment, training or study place with, all the negative consequences that has for their future.’

Head of HR at ICG, Jo Zendel said: “ICG is extremely proud of its involvement with ThinkForward and with the young people from LEAP in particular. Our employees feel privileged to participate in the mentoring partnership and take great satisfaction from being able to positively influence the long-term outcomes of the students.”

The ThinkForward coach at LEAP provides intensive support over four years. Young people are not churned through a programme over a period of just a few months. Instead, as a trusted adult, who is not a parent or teacher, the coach is in a unique position to guide, advise and support students going through some of the most challenging years of their young lives.

John Bradshaw, LEAP headteacher, recognises the benefit ThinkForward brings to his school. He said: I am fortunate to work with ThinkForward. The coach has made a significant impact on the life chances of the students he works with. Apart from high-level 1:1 personalised support they also provide experiences which many of our pupils would not normally have.

The Lord Mayor’s final judging panel will meet to decide the winners and they will be announced at a dinner at Mansion House in September.

We were delighted to host a visit by Baroness Stowell of Beeston, the newly appointed chair of the Charity Commission, to our programme in Nottingham.

Baroness Stowell, who is from the city, visited ThinkForward as part of a fact-finding mission to learn more about the third sector.  It was her first visit to a Nottingham charity since taking up the role in February this year.

ThinkForward has been working in Nottingham since 2016 and is in five schools in north Nottingham and St Ann’s. We provide a coach who works with challenging and often disadvantaged students who are identified as being at high risk of being not in employment, education or training (NEET) when they leave education, with all the negative consequences that is likely to have on their future.

Sally is a Year 11 student at Ellis Guilford. She met Baroness Stowell and spoke to her about the benefits of being on the ThinkForward programme. Sally said: ‘It was really interesting to meet Baroness Stowell and inspirational to learn that she is in the House of Lords. It really opened my mind to what it’s possible to achieve if you work hard and put your mind to something.’

Baroness Stowell, with her interest in education and how it affects social mobility, was particularly keen to find out more about a charity in her home city that helps young people succeed.

She commented: “I would like to thank the trustees, staff and volunteers at ThinkForward for giving up their time to meet me today, and also to thank one of their corporate partners, KPMG Nottingham, for hosting us. I greatly enjoyed my visit and was especially pleased to meet one of the charity’s young beneficiaries, Sally, who is relishing the support she is receiving from ThinkForward because, she told me, she believes those involved in the charity are genuine and really do care about helping people like her.

‘She is clearly embracing everything they can do to help her be the best she can be. Sally is certainly an inspiration and I liked her motto: ‘every opportunity is an open door’.

“I was also delighted to meet the team from ThinkForward. Together they gave me a complete picture of ThinkForward’s inception, progress, arrival in Nottingham, and the impact it is having on the lives of young people. They made clear the charity’s success relies on its commitment to delivering its purpose and demonstrating the impact of their work.”

Also at the meeting was Kat Kirk from KPMG. The accountancy firms is one of ThinkForward’s business mentoring partners, and staff volunteers mentor Y10 students at Ellis Guildford School. 

Daniel Gray who runs the ThinkForward programme in the city said: “We are delighted Baroness Stowell chose to visit ThinkForward in Nottingham and learn more about how we work with some of the city’s most disadvantaged young people. This year we will be expanding to a sixth school, enabling ThinkForward to reach up to 220 students, and support them into employment, training or further education.” 

 

Ossama is  former ThinkForward student. He went to Swanlea School in Tower Hamlets, London, where his coach Ash helped him choose the right career path.

‘I thought about going to university, but I knew it wasn’t really for me because I’m not good at learning in a classroom, I need to learn in a more practical way and that’s one of the ways I benefit from doing an apprenticeship. 

I didn’t like school at all and wanted to get out as soon as possible. Ash, my ThinkForward coach knew I didn’t enjoy school and he really helped me think about life and look at the big picture. Together we worked out that an apprenticeship could be the right thing for me.

After school I went to a training provider called QA, and did a traineeship for IT and Business Admin apprenticeships which helped to prepare me for getting an apprenticeship. I did a work placement with an organisation called Free2learn and when that finished they offered me a 14 month apprenticeship.

It’s much harder to get a job if you don’t have work experience, but doing an apprenticeship means I can get qualifications while working.  I’m doing a BTEC level 3 in business admin while working with Free2learn.

I choose to work five days and study at home in the evening. I didn’t pass my maths or English GCSEs, so I am doing Level 2 functional skills in those subjects instead, as part of my apprenticeship. I’m older now and have a different attitude to learning too, I realise how important it is.

Doing an apprenticeship means I am working, learning and earning all at the same time. I’m getting paid and I’m not building up any debt. I’ve got two months more to do on my apprenticeship and I’ve already been told that I’ve got a secure position at the end. I’ll get a pay rise then too.

I think apprenticeships are the right thing for some people. An apprenticeship was definitely the right option for me. I really enjoy what I do, and I feel confident doing it.

Two or three years ago I didn’t have a plan and I couldn’t have imagined then, that I would be working and doing an apprenticeship now. My next ambition is to become an office manager.’