On the 14th and 15th of October, we held our seventh annual Social Mobility Careers Fair, which this year took place virtually. The new layout, where employers got to present their organisations to the young people who attended the event, provided a chance for those from less advantaged backgrounds to attain knowledge and a first-hand insight into the opportunities that the organisations had to offer. The event also provided a fantastic platform on which to engage and network with representatives from these organisations.
In attendance over the course of the two-day event, we were delighted to welcome around 100 young people, aged 18-30 years old, as well as 10 organisations – some long-time MTL partners, and some new partnerships.
The corporate employers who presented at the event were:
Foxtons
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Lidl
Peel Hunt
Lansons
HSBC
Reed Smith LLP
Ukie (with Into Games, Teazelcat Games, and CCP Games)
Infinity Global
Smart DCC
One employer, Rebecca Hicks, a Recruitment Consultant at Lidl, had this to say about their experience at the Fair: “Thank you so much for having Lidl attend the fair! We are really passionate about being able to support young people into jobs and hope that today has helped inspire some of your students on how they can achieve this either with Lidl or other businesses. We would really like to keep supporting MTL and attend any future events that you are running. Thank you all to the team at MTL for making the sessions so engaging and supporting the presenters!”
A Lidl exhibitor slide next to some of the attendees!
This statement was reiterated by Dominic Shaw, the Office Manager at Ukie, who commented: “Being able to take part in the Virtual Careers Fair was a pleasure, from the levels of engagement there was a great mixture of students with many not even knowing they could get a career in the games industry. I hope that Ukie, Into Games and Making The Leap can work together more in the future to support young talent from low socio-economic backgrounds realise their potential and know there can be a place in video games for them!”
Holly Allen, Graduate Recruitment Manager at Reed Smith LLP, had this positive comment to say about the young people in attendance: “It was great to participate in an in event where the attendees had a great attitude, asked really good questions and showed a genuine interest in what was being said. I’m looking forward to participating again next year.”
Another organisation that is a new partnership with Making The Leap is Information Technology company, Smart DCC. Rayner Miller, the Head of Employee Engagement & Social Responsibility there, had this to say about the Virtual Careers Fair: “We were privileged to be a part of the MTL Virtual Careers Fair. We’re committed to providing opportunities for all at the DCC, and the careers fair was a great way to connect with talented people that are interested in what we have to offer.”
A slide from Smart DCC’s presentation.
The Social Mobility Careers Fair aims to bridge the social mobility gap by connecting young people to employers, giving them insight into organisations (some organisations that they have never considered before), access to great opportunities, and ultimately empowering them in their journeys to brilliant careers. One attendee with an interest in Civil Service expressed this by stating: “I have really enjoyed the Careers Fair because I have listened to employers that I most likely would’ve walked past in a [physical] careers fair. I have seen just how much they have to offer and not just in their respective field of banking or real estate, for example, but also the vast roles that they have (marketing, IT, security, etc.)”.
After another successful Social Mobility Careers Fair, we are happy to be able to continue supporting the young people who need it, now more than ever, in raising their aspirations for the future, as well as improving their confidence in their abilities. We are so thankful to our supporters, who help us to continue doing what we do, and cannot wait for the eighth annual Social Mobility Careers Fair, which will hopefully be in person!
To find out more, contact Carmen Antiqueira at carmen.antiqueira@mtl.org.uk, or telephone: 020 8962 1900
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