The EY Foundation is an independent social mobility charity established four years ago by EY. We give young people who face barriers to employment intensive employability skills training and work experience so they can fulfil their potential and get the jobs they want. But, what really distinguishes us is that we help UK employers access this untapped pool of talent, increasing social mobility and diversity in the workplace, with a 70% increase in the number of young people who feel confident about finding a job after participating in our programmes.
Supporting civil service and government
With social mobility a government priority, I am particularly proud of the role we have been playing supporting a growing number of government departments, including the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the Cabinet Office, to build links to these young people. They come from some of the poorest homes in the UK and often face additional challenges including being in care or carers.
Benefits for staff and young people
Our recent Ministry of Justice programme in Bradford, enabled young people to experience what it’s like working for a government department. Equally transformative, however, was the experience for MoJ staff who worked closely with and mentored these talented young people.
Our Home Office programme last year in London and Manchester also had a major impact. In the words of a senior civil servant, “It opened the Home Office’s eyes to the breadth of talent we just hadn’t been reaching before and it’s made a great difference to or mentors who have also grown as individuals.”
My hope is we can continue to support government in bringing social mobility and diversity to the workplace. To find out more please contact Nil Neale, Head of Young People and Employer Services, at nneale@eyfoundation.ey.com.
