Let's make it work: Pledge spotlight

Julie Baker, Social Value Manager at Keepmoat, shares their commitment to supporting young people in Alternative Provision (AP) by creating real opportunities through meaningful workplace experiences. Keepmoat is committed to helping all young people build confidence, gain experience and explore future career opportunities.

"Talent is everywhere, but opportunities are not always equal." Louise Hayward, Careers Inspiration Adviser at YTL UK, outlines their commitment to helping young people in Alternative Provision (AP) explore what is possible for their future. Through meaningful experiences, connections with employers and exposure to different careers, young people in AP can build confidence and raise aspirations.

Beamish Museum is committed to creating engaging opportunities for young people from all backgrounds. Simon Woolley, Head of Learning and Access, explains the importance of offering a range of careers and workplace experiences and encourages others to play an active role in supporting young people.

The Cottesloe School pledged that every child will leave with a CV full of skills and work experience to make them truly successful in their future. Since pledging, they have made significant developments. They have moved to a hybrid model of both in-person and virtual placements to reflect the current working world and making it more viable for students with additional needs and mental health issues. 

Through collaborating with employers like KPMG UK, The Talent Foundry are aligning programmes with national standards and quality frameworks, they’re rethinking traditional models of work experience. This approach is helping build skills, confidence and aspiration, particularly for those at risk of becoming NEET.
 

Fowler & Gilbert are turning ambition into action by opening real pathways for young people through holistic, end‑to‑end industry exposure. Working closely with schools, colleges and local partners, they’re supporting T‑Level students, apprentices and educators with meaningful insight into the world of work, strengthening local talent pipelines and future workforce capability.

Castleford Academy pledged to improve access to meaningful workplace experiences for their pupils. Since pledging, they've rolled out work experience for the entire Year 10 cohort, and have nearly 100 students starting placements in May. Staff have played a huge role across the school ensuring a whole-school approach is taken to effectively commit to modern work experience. 

The EY Foundation pledged to provide more young people with access to meaningful experiences of work. Since pledging, they have developed Beyond Horizons, a place‑based pilot in Bradford designed to help young people build confidence, skills and insight into the world of work from an earlier stage.

Teleplan Forsberg are creating experiences that support young people’s futures through collaboration with schools, partners and local employers, whilst developing the coaching and leadership skills of their employees. When work experience is supported by internal ownership, it delivers clear benefits for businesses - strengthening talent pipelines whilst supporting meaningful development for employees involved.

Since pledging, Medical Schools Council has shifted significantly from isolated activity to joined-up pathway design. They've been focusing on aligning outreach, widening participation, and workforce priorities into a single, coherent model. They've been working closely with partners, including NHS England, universities - medical and dental schools, local NHS Trusts and system partners.