WIREDGOV

We’ve been working with the Inspiring Futures charity to make teachers aware of their services to schools. Inspiring futures allows you to select people from different career paths to come in and talk to your class about their job and broaden options and minds for the children.

Volunteers from the world of work can help inspire children, challenge their pre-conceptions and raise their aspirations by coming into schools and sharing their career stories. These volunteers can also show children the relevance of the subjects they are studying in the classroom and how that can positively impact their futures.

Ten years of renowned and robust research undertaken by the charity, Education and Employers has shown that these interactions with adults can help challenge gender and social stereotypes, decrease the chance of students becoming NEET and also have a positive impact on their salary when they finally join the work force.  Research that has helped inform government policy.

Through their state-of-the-art online matching service www.inspiringthefuture.org, the charity has a database of nearly 50,000 volunteers excited to come into schools to share their experiences with young people. To complement this, there is a library of support materials developed in conjunction with teachers. These include lesson plans and videos. 

The charity has a highly experienced and knowledgeable support team at their head office happy to support schools to make these connections. For secondary schools there is also guidance as to how these activities can support schools in achieving Gatsby benchmarks.

All this is free and simple to use for schools – just register via www.inspiringthefuture.org (secondary schools) or www.primaryfutures.org for primary schools. After all children ‘can’t be what they can’t see’ (US activist Marian Wright Edelman).