KAA hosted by Goldman Sachs at three-day Careers Residential

by Vashti Turner  on May 18, 2022  in  Academy News

During the Easter holidays, students at Kensington Aldridge Academy attended a three-day Careers Residential hosted by Goldman Sachs and education charity Teach First aimed at improving their careers knowledge and skills need to take advantage of future opportunities after school.

At their offices in the City of London, Goldman Sachs hosted 100 pupils from 10 schools serving disadvantaged communities across the country, who work closely with Teach First – the education charity that works with schools facing the biggest challenges to tackle educational inequality. The Residential was organised by Goldman Sachs as part of their ongoing commitment to improving social mobility and a 15-year  partnership with Teach First, with young people given careers support they would otherwise struggle to access.

Pupils spent the week learning about careers in the City, boosting their employability skills, and networking with employees from organisations such as The Economist and Financial Times, as well as Goldman Sachs. Research has demonstrated the importance of engaging with businesses for young people, as just four meaningful interactions with an employer reduces a child’s chances of becoming NEET (not in education, employment, or training) after school by 86%.[1]

The Residential is an important part of Kensington Aldridge Academy’s careers education programme, ensuring their pupils have the same opportunities to succeed after school as wealthier pupils. A survey of pupils in attendance found 88% believed they were better equipped for their future careers and 72% felt their understanding of careers available in the City had increased.

Russell Hobby, CEO of Teach First said:

“The future world of work can be daunting for many young people but, for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the barriers to a successful career can feel insurmountable. We’re working with partner businesses and schools serving disadvantaged communities to give more young people the chance to unlock their full potential after school. We’re so grateful to our long-standing partner Goldman Sachs for hosting a varied and inspirational schedule of events at the Residential, giving pupils from ten Teach First partner schools an inside look into the sector – inspiring them about what they could go on to achieve and giving them the skills and knowledge that they need to turn those inspirations into reality.

“I was honoured to join the closing ceremony and hear directly from the pupils who had clearly gained so much from the experience. We’re proud to work with businesses like Goldman Sachs to have an impact where it’s needed most.”

Janine Glasenberg, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs said:

“As a proud and long standing partner of Teach First, Goldman Sachs were delighted to work with Teach First to deliver the Goldman Sachs Careers Residential.

“As a firm, we are incredibly focused on upskilling, inspiring and informing the next generation of talent. We strongly believe that talent and determination should determine one’s future, not the circumstances we are born into. Unfortunately, we know this is not always the case. We recognise that not all students have equal access to education, development opportunities, networks or resources, and this can often have significant impact on their future. We want to level the playing field here – our focus is developing all individual talent, no matter their background.

“The Teach First Residential was a uniquely designed a 3 day careers residential with the aim of inspiring and upskilling students from lower socio-economic backgrounds across the UK, who may not typically have access to these opportunities or a broader network. We worked closely with Teach First over 18 months to design and deliver content that showcased the variety of career opportunities in the city, whilst building students confidence and skills.

“The energy from both the students and teachers throughout the Residential was infectious and there was a real buzz in our London office. The students truly gave it their all and we are so incredibly proud of every participant who pushed themselves outside their comfort zones, learnt a new skill and had some fun along the way!”

Notes to Editor

About Teach First

Teach First is an education charity which is fighting to make our education system work for every child. Backing the schools facing the toughest challenges. The charity finds and trains teachers, develops their leadership teams and plugs them into networks of diverse expertise and opportunities to create real change.

The charity has now placed over 15,000 teachers and leaders, has over 100 head teachers in their Training Programme alumni and has supported over a million pupils.

Those on the Training Programme commit to a minimum of two years at their partner school, where they are trainee teachers – gaining a fully-funded Postgraduate Diploma in Education and Leadership (PGDE) and earning a salary whilst they train. More than half then stay on for a third year, where they have the option to top up their qualification to a master’s. Over 60% of all the teachers who’ve completed training since 2003 are currently teaching.

As well as recruiting new teachers into the profession, the charity provides a range of support for schools, including programmes to help develop teachers at every stage of their career.

Teach First currently operates in all regions across England: London, West Midlands, East Midlands, Yorkshire the Humber, North West, North East, South East, South Coast, South West and the East of England.

About Goldman Sachs

At Goldman Sachs, we connect people, capital and ideas to help solve problems for our clients. We are a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities and investment management services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals.

We believe who you are makes you better at what you do. We seek out people with all types of skills, interests and experiences. For us, it’s all about bringing together people who are curious, collaborative and have the drive to make things possible for our clients and communities. We seek out people with all types of skills, interests and experiences.

We know that we cannot be the best organisation without a diverse workforce, including diversity of socioeconomic background, and so we are working on delivering initiatives across the firm and within our communities that are aimed at advancing opportunity for all. This is not only the right thing to do, it makes business sense. Our Social Mobility strategy is aimed at levelling the playing field by offering students unique upskilling opportunities, building their network and increasing confidence.

[1] Education and Employers Research, 2017, Contemporary Transitions: Young Britons reflect on life after secondary school and college.