Students at Richmond and Northallerton Sixth Form Colleges have received a tremendous boost to their careers support with £26,000 of funding from the Ivy House Award. Sponsored by Nat West, this is a fantastic programme to enhance careers and employability that develops leadership, confidence and life skills. Liz Mannion, Careers Leader at Richmond School and Sixth Form College, secured the funding and the Areté Learning Trust colleges are privileged to be two of only 15 sixth form establishments across the UK, and the only ones in North Yorkshire, to gain this valuable funding.
Having spent 20 years working with over 40% of the FTSE 100 CEOS, Ivy House reviewed why these life-changing skills were only given to those who had already reached the pinnacle of their careers. They therefore designed the Ivy House Award to deliver the training to young people at a time when it could change the whole course of their lives and careers, and when it can make the biggest difference. The Award gives students aged 16-18 the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to step up and take ownership of their future and career paths.
The programme will be delivered over 20 sessions and combines the very best learning with the flexibility of an online platform. With 40 core videos, the project includes a series of quizzes, psychometric tools, bespoke exercises and discussion topics, all designed to deepen students’ understanding of who they are, the life they want to create and begin developing the skills necessary to make it happen.
Ms Mannion said: “I attended an online careers event for teachers, through Eton College, and was invited to apply for funding. The application process was rigorous so I was over the moon to be awarded funding for both Richmond and Northallerton Sixth Form Colleges. It means so much for our students. It’s a fantastic employability initiative which helps them build up resilience and skills in a changing world. It supports our Learning for Life programme which reflects our college values.
“Usually, our Year 12 students would go out on work experience so this programme will help bridge the gap and support the next steps in their careers and to access higher education and degree apprenticeships.”
The programme is completely Covid-proof as it can be run online, or face-to-face, depending on circumstances. The project will run over two years so 80 Year 12 students in each college will benefit during this time.
Anna Cox, Assistant Headteacher responsible for personal development at Northallerton School and Sixth Form College, concluded: “I am delighted that we have been offered this programme and so many students can benefit. This is fabulous news for our students who have the unique opportunity to develop and to help them achieve their potential in their careers and in the world of work. It will also help them to have competitive applications for university and degree apprenticeships.”
To find out more about the Ivy House Award, funded by Nat West, visit https://www.ivyhouse.co.uk/our-programmes/award/ and for details of the other 13 schools and colleges which have been awarded the funding visit https://www.ivyhouse.co.uk/fair-chance-fund-finds-15-schools/