JM Finn is proud to have completed a fourth year of partnership with Future Frontiers – a charity that facilitates career coaching and guidance of school pupils to help them achieve their future goals.
The Future Frontiers programme tackles the lower rates of students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds progressing to education beyond the age of 16 – which can have consequences for the rest of their lives. By partnering with companies such as JM Finn, it provides pupils with roles models and networking opportunities that can support them in exploring their career aspirations and plan how to make them a reality.
The scheme can have a transformational impact - both on pupils' attitudes towards learning and engagement at school, and on their chances of moving into high-quality post-16 education or training.
Over the course of the firm’s participation in the scheme, JM Finn has supported over 60 students with career coaching. In 2024, 15 JM Finn staff members took part in the scheme as volunteer coaches for pupils at Westminster Academy in London. The staff members coached 15 Year 10 students for 6 hours each. Levels of socio-disadvantage are high in this school - 48.5% of pupils at the school are eligible for free school meals, over double the national average of 23.8%.
In a survey conducted of students before and after their participation in the scheme, there was a marked increase in positive scores in knowledge, skills and belief in the context of their readiness to make positive steps towards a future career.
All the JM Finn staff who took part found the programme highly rewarding and said they felt proud that their company is supporting young people. Caroline Lepley, a Manager in JM Finn’s Client Onboarding team said: ‘’Being a part of the Future Frontiers programme was really rewarding, both for myself and the student. I learnt new skills and stepped outside my comfort zone, and my student found it beneficial to have someone outside of school to really talk about skills, education requirements and career aspirations.”
