We are the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF), and we are very excited that this year we are opening an office in Cardiff which means we can deliver our Aspiring Professionals Programme to students from across Wales. Applications are now open and the deadline to apply is 12pm, Wednesday 19th December 2018.
Every year, we help more than 1,600 high-achieving young people from low-income backgrounds realise their potential. Our programme supports those who may not have the knowledge or networks to access top professions. We work with young people from Year 12, right through university and into top jobs.
There are a few different ways that we support students once they join our programme. Firstly we will help you with getting into a top university. That includes help on your personal statement, how to make an informed decision about which university you go to and all the other stages of your application like tests and interviews.
When you join the programme we will ask you all about your career aspirations and to pick a professional sector that you are interested in, from then on the programme will be tailored to that career sector. You will get matched up to a professional mentor who is currently working in the sector you have chosen. Our mentors are an amazing source of information and can give you a real insight of what it’s like to work day to day in their job. We have mentors from leading businesses such as KPMG, BBC, Amazon, Bank of England, Google, Linklaters and many more.
“Mentoring gave me an opportunity to explore my interests. If I hadn’t had a mentor my ideas for the future would be much more uncertain.” – Aspiring Professionals Programme Student.
Throughout your time on the programme you will also be offered lots of interesting workshops and skills sessions. During sixth form these are focussed on giving you an introduction to your career sector, and how to conduct yourself in a professional setting so that you are able to make the most of all your opportunities.
The final part of the programme is the internship placements we provide. We have links with the leading law firms, banks, hospitals, engineering firms and many more and we can sort you out with fantastic internships. One student on the programme last year told us “The internship was so much more than I could have asked for. From networking to insight sessions… it provided me with incredibly valuable experiences that helped me in developing my professional skills and general confidence.” You won’t be photocopying and filing on any internship organised by us. Instead, you’ll shadow professionals to gain first-hand insight into your chosen area of work and, at the same time, strengthen your university application.
Once you get to university our support will continue. We will help you prepare for the world of graduate recruitment, practise for interviews, perfect your C.V. and get into the top jobs!
We are so excited to be coming to Wales, and we want to support lots of Seren students this year. If you are interested then head over to our website to read all about the different programmes you can apply for: http://www.socialmobility.org.uk/programmes/#programmes
And make sure you check the eligibility criteria by clicking here.
Remember the deadline is 12pm, Wednesday 19th December 2018. In the meantime if you would like to get in touch, or for us to come and visit your school just contact us using the details below.
Phone: 020 7183 1189
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