Recent Government research shows that only one in nine children from low-income backgrounds eventually get into the top jobs in Britain. Access to the best opportunities in life is all-too-often determined more by where a person grew up or what their parents do rather than what their talents are.
As part of our mission at Bright Network to connect students from all backgrounds with opportunities and tailored advice to succeed as the workforce of tomorrow, we’re delighted to announce a partnership with Brightside – the leading mentoring charity.
Through online mentoring Brightside connects young people with inspirational role models so that they can make confident and informed decisions about their next steps in life.
With our shared goals of ensuring that young people have access to the careers advice, insights and employers, we’re thrilled to be working together.
Brightside was established to mentor young people, giving them role models and 1:1 support. Since 2003, they have worked with 100,000 young people, and now support 10,000 mentees a year across every region of England.
This new partnership will ensure that every young person who completes their mentoring programme and are studying at university, will join Bright Network.
Through Bright Network’s online platform, events and partnerships with 250+ top employers, we will help to curate a personalised journey to give these talented students everything they need to pursue a great career.
Anand Shukla, CEO of Brightside said:
"Brightside is delighted to launch this partnership with Bright Network. It has come at the perfect time for the charity, as we look forward to launching an exciting new offer to Alumni of our mentoring projects.
We work with 10,000 young people from all backgrounds every year to help them develop the confidence, knowledge and soft skills they need to succeed in their education and careers. Working collaboratively with Bright Network will help us extend the help we offer young people beyond our mentoring projects, ensuring that they remain supported for as long as they need."
James Uffindell, Founder & CEO Bright Network says:
"I started Bright Network as I wanted to fix a problem in British society; how the brightest graduate talent, regardless of background, connects with the best employment opportunities. Every year in the UK, there are a staggering 70,000 unfilled graduate vacancies and 50% of leading firms fail to find the graduate talent they need to grow. I wanted to take action to redress the imbalance.
Making the right career choice is one of the most important decisions you will ever make and I am so pleased that we will be working with Brightside to help support their mentees. All young people, regardless of their economic and social background, ethnicity, sexuality and gender deserve the best advice."