A totally different way of planning futures
Our Futures programme is designed to deliver unlimited aspiration and endless opportunities for every child and young person.
What is Futures?
We believe that young people should be judged by the person they become and not the box they tick. From this belief, Futures has been born, a unique way to completely support every young person into the future they deserve.
Here, Tracey Fletcher-Ray, CEO and Matthew Boyle, Projects Director, share the options and opportunities that Futures offers, including some of their standout moments from the programme so far.
Our Futures Employer Award
We want to recognise the commitment of teams that have created opportunities and experiences to encourage and inspire aspirational futures for neurodiverse young people.
Find out more here
Share your expertise with us
Our Futures programme sets us apart, and employers think so too. At the drop of a hat, they can share their experience and expertise in sessions at school through our Futures Ambassadors Sessions, offer our young people day trips to enter their world or weeks and weeks of work experience.
If you know an employer and want to get involved, contact our Futures Team by emailing futures@witherslackgroup.co.uk
Tommy's Story
Meet Tommy, who came to our Hall Cliffe School lacking confidence and feeling equally unsure about education. Fast-forward a few years, and right before you, he stands tall with friends, qualifications and his dream job at a construction company. How was this achieved? It’s a combination of personalised support, guidance and raising aspirations, which we just do every single day.
Investing in talent
Pupils from Chilworth House Upper School had the incredible opportunity to learn about the financial services industry with the Mubadala Capital Team.
After an interactive session and discussions with the industry experts at school, the young people entered their offices in Mayfair. Here, they absorbed the professional atmosphere and met even more team members who shared even more insights into their various disciplines with fun activities that left a lasting impression.
A testament to the partnership's success is the enthusiasm of some who declared, 'This is the place I want to work!'
Sketching out a future
Our Futures Ambassadors Sessions bring employers to our schools, where they speak to young people about their journey to success, giving a real insight into experiences and the diverse opportunities that industries can offer.
In this video, Kirsty Doyle, fashion designer and entrepreneur from Liverpool visited our Pontville School, where she facilitated a workshop and shared how her career started in fashion and the experiences she has had along the way.
Cementing their future
As part of Futures, Billy, a pupil from our Bridgeway School in Preston, experienced life on a live construction site with Caddick Construction. Once a week over six weeks, he worked closely with the site manager, getting stuck into activities while interacting with professionals and their diverse jobs.
During this experience, Bridgeway School and Caddick Construction staff witnessed Billy grow and celebrated many moments they proudly share in this video.
Blending up a future
The students from Pontville School's 16-19 Centre visited the restaurant of Ellis and Liam Barrie, who provided a behind-the-scenes tour of their fine dining establishment. Their staff team also took the time to speak to our aspiring chefs, giving them an insight into their careers and progress in hospitality.
In this video, watch how the visit brought to life their initial Futures Ambassador session, where the entrepreneurs shared their passion for food and their journey so far.
Virtual experiences
We are proud to work with so many employer partners to create amazing opportunities for our young people, inspiring them to dream big about their futures and to see how their skills and talents can be used across different industry's. Check out the latest virtual experiences brought to us by our partners at Getmyfirstjob.
Virtual work experience at John Lewis
Our Futures principles
Glass ceilings are there to be broken through, and aspiration and ambition should not be constrained. We believe that every child deserves the right to have a future filled with happiness, purpose, success and belonging. Most importantly, we believe in our young people and the futures they will achieve.
The development of our young people's futures is a Group-wide priority driven by all educational teams, careers support staff, and the dedicated Futures personnel.
We place employability at the heart of the learning experience, both within and outside the curriculum, and provide our young people with the opportunities and support they need to develop into highly capable and employable candidates.
We utilise direct employer insight, experience and expertise as part of the development and employability programmes that will achieve significant and measurable outcomes for every child.
We offer a portfolio of career opportunities and work placements that enables all young people to be encouraged to broaden their interests, knowledge and experience in whatever field they choose to pursue.
Young people are supported to acquire a real understanding of what personal attributes they have to offer employers and the skills they possess. They should, in turn, be able to demonstrate these to employers in a quantifiable way. Through this, they will gain confidence, resilience and ambition, which will present them as 'ready to work' to employers.
We provide our young people with actual job opportunities and unrivalled levels of ongoing support to ensure that their first steps beyond education are successful ones that directly lead to employment.
Futures updates
Working with businesses and entrepreneurs up and down the country, we provide options and opportunities enabling our children and young people to meet inspiring people. Here, you can find all the latest goings on.