Join us in our charity’s mission to empower young people

As the UK’s leading social mobility charity, we’re on a mission to help state-educated students nationwide to reach their potential by providing work experience placements and inspirational talks.

If you’d like to learn more – discover what we do and how we can help you below, explore our fully funded programmes or get in touch.

What do we do and how can we help you?

Educators

Ready to empower your  students to reach their potential?

Right now over half of state-educated students in schools and colleges like yours leave with no work experience. Together we can change that statistic.

Our charity’s fully funded programmes for 11-19-year-olds – which come at no cost to you, your students, or their parents/carers – open doors to in-person, virtual and hybrid work experience with world-class employers and in-school or online inspirational talks with high-profile speakers. Plus our dedicated education team will support you with expert placement planning and safeguarding advice too.

Explore our programmes

Employers

Ready to tap into our pool of   young talent and boost social mobility?

Providing work experience is not just a matter of goodwill; it’s a strategic move to gain a competitive edge in the race for early talent acquisition – whilst showcasing careers, closing skills gaps and boosting your social impact.

Our charity’s programme gives you access to 14-19-year-olds from over 2,000 state schools and colleges across the country. Plus we’ll support you at every step of the  way; offering expert guidance on delivering high-quality in-person, virtual or hybrid placements, step-by-step planning and safeguarding advice too.

Get involved

Young People

Ready to find answers  about your future career?

We know it’s not easy to imagine what you could be in the future and harder still to get the chances you deserve. Our UK-wide charity works with state schools and colleges like yours, helping you to reach your potential by opening doors to opportunities with world-class employers and life-changing speakers.

Take our Career Personality Quiz – a quick, fun way to find out which types of careers are most likely to suit you and to get tailored updates on work experience and inspirational  talks – or visit our young person page to learn more.

Take the quiz

Explore our programmes

What fully funded programmes do we offer?

Work
Experience

We partner with leading employers – offering programme expertise, planning and safeguarding advice – to provide 14-19-year-old students with high-quality in-person work placements, virtual work experience, or hybrid placements from anywhere in the UK.

Explore work experience

Inspirational
Talks

We partner with high-profile motivational speakers to uncover their secrets to success and fuel career ambitions for 11-19-year-old students – with options to attend in-person talks in a school or college, join live broadcasts online or watch recorded talks on our library.

Explore inspirational talks

National Teen
Book Club

We partner with publishers, authors and related speakers to offer online book clubs that provide reading opportunities, inspiration and career insights to 11-19-year-old students in-school, and 14-19-year-old independent learners after-school too.

Explore book club

What’s our social mobility mission?

Whilst talent is spread evenly across the country, opportunity sadly isn’t.

That’s why our dedicated teams of experts partner with educators, employers and young people, as well as speakers, national bodies, funders and policy makers; to increase the richness of education for state-educated students, level the playing field with the best fee-paying schools, improve diversity in the workplace and secure better outcomes for all.

Since 2010, we have supported 1.6 million young people UK-wide – by providing fair access to our fully funded programmes and using evidence-led research and campaigns to influence policy and practices.

You can learn more about us here or explore how you can support our mission here

Why choose Speakers for Schools?

We have dedicated industry experts in education, business practices and policy

Our teams bring together the knowledge and expertise that makes high-quality and  high-impact work experience and highly inspirational talks possible. As the UK’s leading social mobility charity, we are here to support you and guide you every step of the way.

We have a vast network of nationwide schools, world-class employers and speakers

2,073 schools and colleges.  354 employers. 1,600 speakers. Through our partners we can create connections and provide access to a diverse range of institutions, businesses and individuals who make life-changing experiences possible for young people across the country.

We are a charity who you can help in our mission to improve social mobility

Together we can ALL make a transformational difference to the lives of young people from state schools and colleges by opening doors to opportunities – that would otherwise remain closed. But we can only do it with the valued partnerships, engagement and support of people like you.

Hear from young people for insight on our impact

Impacting the lives of young people is the reason we exist. In 2022/23 we supported 62,792 14-19-year-olds to experience the workplace and 92,215 to attend inspirational talks. With 70% of 14-16-year-olds having never joined a placement before and 94% of educators saying our Experience programme left their students feeling better informed on careers.

Listen to Joyce – 17, from London, and a member of last years’ Youth Council – as she shares her story.

Read our latest Impact Report here, or visit our Policy & Research page here

Why do our partners and young people trust our programmes?

We’ve partnered with Speakers for Schools to access inspiring talks and insightful work experience, a vital part of lifelong learning. By offering opportunities for in-person, hybrid, and virtual experiences we’ve removed the barriers that exist for many!

Alexander McCafferty

Careers Leader, Djanogly City Academy

“We have worked together to design a yearlong programme of aviation learning. 25,000 hours of inspiring talks, interactive activities, and mentoring, both online and in-person.”

Laura Macshane

Manager, DEI & Community Virgin Atlantic

“In June 2021, I started the first day of my virtual work experience with FinTrU… Fast forward to June 2023, and I took part in the same work experience programme, however, this time as an employee at FinTrU. ”

Lara

Belfast

View our latest news

Read more about our activity and how we are impacting the next generation.

Our response to The Key Group’s report on young people’s access to work experience
Explore our response to research from school support organisation, The Key Group, on access to work experience amongst 14 and 15-year-olds,… Read more: Our response to The Key Group’s report on young people’s access to work experience
Assumed Knowledge: A Hidden Barrier to Social Mobility
First-of-its-kind research exposes glaring inequalities in young people’s access to knowledge of the education system and careers, threatening equal opportunity for… Read more: Assumed Knowledge: A Hidden Barrier to Social Mobility
Our response to the Youth Voice Census 2024
A closer look at the ‘Youth Voice Census 2024’ The ‘Youth Voice Census 2024’ has just been released by Youth Employment… Read more: Our response to the Youth Voice Census 2024
The Sutton Trust’s Life Lessons 2024 report – How are young people developing the skills for success
The Sutton Trust’s Life Lessons 2024 report – How are young people developing the skills for success While academic and subject-specific… Read more: The Sutton Trust’s Life Lessons 2024 report – How are young people developing the skills for success
New Partnership Between Speakers for Schools and The Hg Foundation to Boost Diversity in the UK Tech Sector
New Partnership Aims to Transform the UK Tech Sector by Boosting Diversity and Social Mobility Speakers for Schools partners with The… Read more: New Partnership Between Speakers for Schools and The Hg Foundation to Boost Diversity in the UK Tech Sector
Reflections on the Social Mobility Commission’s ‘State of the Nation’ Annual Report 2024
Reflections on the Social Mobility Commission’s ‘State of the Nation’ Annual Report 2024 The Social Mobility Commission’s ‘State of the Nation’… Read more: Reflections on the Social Mobility Commission’s ‘State of the Nation’ Annual Report 2024
Speakers for Schools Response to The King’s Speech 17 July 2024
Speakers for Schools Response to The King’s Speech 17 July 2024 ‘My Ministers will seek to raise educational standards and break down barriers… Read more: Speakers for Schools Response to The King’s Speech 17 July 2024
Speakers for Schools Investigate The Future of Education,
General Election Spotlight: How does each party envision the future of education? Surveying the political landscape Education has fallen to an all-time low… Read more: Speakers for Schools Investigate The Future of Education,
How does work experience work in Northern Ireland?
How does work experience work in Northern Ireland? With the restoration of devolved government to Northern Ireland in February 2024, what… Read more: How does work experience work in Northern Ireland?
Our new partnership with the Sir James Knott Trust
We are delighted to share that we have successfully secured £5000 of funding from the Sir James Knott Trust in their most recent round of awards. In the past year, the Sir James Knott Trust have contributed more than £2.3m to hundreds of local community groups and charitable organisations to help improve the quality of life for those most in need across key communities in this part of the country.
Developing young people as a whole
Developing young people as a whole Is our obsession with attainment leaving them behind? The importance of socio-emotional skills Here at… Read more: Developing young people as a whole
Universal Work Experience Gains Public Support In New Report
Universal Work Experience Gains Public Support In New Report The recent report by the Edge Foundation provides insight into the appetite… Read more: Universal Work Experience Gains Public Support In New Report
Meet our new Youth Council
Meet our new Youth Council Welcome from Callum and Zephaniah Making change for young people is important. But to succeed, young… Read more: Meet our new Youth Council
New report outlines double disadvantage barring fair access to top universities
Double Disadvantage: How Lack of Work Experience Limits State School Students’ Access to Top UK Universities The attainment gap between young… Read more: New report outlines double disadvantage barring fair access to top universities
Enhancing youth skills for future employment
Empowering Youth for Future Careers: Insights from Portsmouth Roundtable on Education, Skills, and Social Mobility Last week, we held an inspiring… Read more: Enhancing youth skills for future employment
The Power of Choice
The Power of Choice Choice is a brilliant thing. But it can also be overwhelming. The young people we work with… Read more: The Power of Choice
Building Careers into a multi-academy trust Framework
Building Careers into a Multi-Academy Trust Framework Ormiston Academies Trust run 42 academies, including 32 secondaries, six primaries, three Alternative Provision… Read more: Building Careers into a multi-academy trust Framework
Why it is essential to help students ‘belong’ to their school community
Why it is essential to help students ‘belong’ to their school community As all of us across the education sector are… Read more: Why it is essential to help students ‘belong’ to their school community
Revolutionising the Labour Market: Unleashing productivity by putting skills first.
Revolutionising the Labour Market: Unleashing productivity by putting skills first. In the ever-evolving landscape of industries, accessing and retaining talent has… Read more: Revolutionising the Labour Market: Unleashing productivity by putting skills first.
Charitable Trust awards grant for summer work experience for schools and colleges in Chester and Ellesmere Port
Charitable Trust awards grant for summer work experience for schools and colleges in Chester and Ellesmere Port Young people attending state… Read more: Charitable Trust awards grant for summer work experience for schools and colleges in Chester and Ellesmere Port
The intersection between regional barriers and digital skills divides for young people
The intersection between regional barriers and digital skills divides for young people The opportunity to thrive for our young people –… Read more: The intersection between regional barriers and digital skills divides for young people
Why virtual work experience is still important in a post-pandemic educational world
Why virtual work experience is still important in a post-pandemic educational world The etiquettes, cultures and practices of the working world… Read more: Why virtual work experience is still important in a post-pandemic educational world
Enhancing Careers Education: A Call to Embed Work Experience in Secondary Curriculum
Enhancing Careers Education: A Call to Embed Work Experience in Secondary Curriculum The UK House of Lords Education for 11-16 Year Olds Committee… Read more: Enhancing Careers Education: A Call to Embed Work Experience in Secondary Curriculum
Our top four takeaways from PISA 2022 findings
Our top four takeaways from PISA 2022 findings Over the past couple of days, headlines have rightly covered the decline in… Read more: Our top four takeaways from PISA 2022 findings

Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions

Launched in 2010 by ITV’s Political Editor Robert Peston, Speakers for Schools is a youth social mobility charity that seeks to raise career ambitions among young people from less privileged backgrounds across the UK, and provide the necessary inspiration, experience and networking opportunities for them to succeed. We provide support in the form of local, national and UK-wide opportunities to young people from state schools and colleges at no cost to students, parents/carers or your school/college. Since launch, we have already supported more than 1.6 million young people to discover more about the world of work. Work experience with us means young people can:

Access high-quality work experience that meets Gatsby Benchmarks 5 and 6
Take part in employer-led activities based on the Skills Builder Universal Framework
Expand their knowledge of careers and pathways into different careers

In 2022/23 we made 341,935 interventions in young people’s lives and worked with 2,073 state schools; supporting 62,792 14-19-year-olds to experience the workplace, 92,215 to attend inspirational talks and 23,074 to register for book club. With 70% of 14-16-year-olds having never joined a placement before and 94% of educators saying our Experience programme left their students feeling better informed on careers.
Read our latest Impact Report here.

Speakers for Schools has a trained and dedicated safeguarding team who is responsible for making sure all policies and procedures are up to date and in line with legislation. The safeguarding team also supports staff, programmes across the organisation, and our partners – which means that educators, employers, and speakers are supported for the safeguarding of students during work experience and inspirational talks. To learn more, visit our safeguarding page here.

Speakers for Schools is administered by the CEO, Nick Brook, and his team, and governed by a Board of Trustees. Please see Our People for more details. The charity is kindly funded by the Law Family Charitable Foundation.

“It isn’t right that access to the workplace depends on who mum and dad know. Our overarching ambition is to increase the richness of education for state school students and level the playing field with the best fee-paying schools. That’s the reason I became a teacher over 30 years ago. Right now, around half of state school students leave school with no work experience whatsoever. Too often, access to work experience depends on parents using their own networks to arrange placements. It’s not right that access to the workplace and future employers depends on who mum and dad know or where they work. That’s why we’ve set ourselves a new ambition. By 2028, we want to make sure all young people in state secondary schools can access high-quality, multi-day work experience, irrespective of family circumstance or location.” Nick Brook, Chief Executive Officer

Our charity focuses on giving state schools, academies and colleges access to the UK’s eminent, reputable figures from a range of industries – and to make it easier for these figures to give their time to young people in state schools and colleges. They are key prominent individuals leading society or industry today, from technology to arts to business, who are often invited directly or by a major industry body that works with our charity (e.g. BAFTA, 30% Club, Creative Industries Federation and more). For more information about our speaker network and taking part, please see our Speaker Directory. If you are interested in giving school talks, please visit our Apply To Be A Speaker page.

Our charity is made up of a network of leading figures committed to giving their time each year to state schools and to help level the playing field for young people of all backgrounds. Our ‘schools network’ is made up of nearly 50% of all UK state secondary schools, academies and colleges, all who have applied directly to our charity for the opportunity to host our speakers. We work across the year to organise events during term time, offering school talks with influential speakers and work experience placements with top companies. Our charity specialises in helping speakers reach schools based not only on availability but also key locations and schools that are the most under-served and who will benefit most as our priority. This includes considering free school meal/pupil premium rates, high-deprivation areas and those which have poorer links to speakers and employers than their neighbouring schools.

To access our programmes as an educator, employer or young person you can register and create an account here . Our easy-to-use online portal is designed to help you through the process, with the support of our teams at every step of the way.

Our Experience and Inspiration programmes are fully funded and entirely free thanks to the contributions of all our partners and supporters. 

Speakers for Schools is a UK-wide charity, covering over 80% of local authorities each year. We can accept applications from any state-maintained secondary school, academy or college (11-19-year-olds) for either our Inspiration programme for talks speakers or our Experience programme for insight days and work experience. Availability of speakers and placements do vary and change year-on-year so be sure to sign up to both programmes to be notified when we are able to work with your school. For speakers and employers, please be sure to let us know if you can help us reach under-served geographic locations when speaking with our team!

No, unfortunately we are unable to provide speakers for events outside of our core work, such as careers days, award ceremonies, teacher events, etc. We are also unable to offer speakers for non-school events such as at libraries, universities or community groups. This is due to the very high demand for our state school talks, the nature of our talks and our priority to reach a broad range of students (who might not take part in extra-curricular events).