Charitable Trust awards grant for summer work experience for schools and colleges in Chester and Ellesmere Port
Young people attending state schools and colleges in Ellesmere Port and Chester will have access to a wider range of work experience opportunities this summer thanks to a special grant awarded to the Speakers for Schools charity by the Westminster Foundation’s Small Grants programme.
How much is the grant?
Speakers for Schools is delighted to have been awarded a grant of just under £10,000 by the Westminster Foundation, which is an independent grant-making charity that provides place-based funding for community youth-focused projects to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds thrive.
Why is the award being spent on young people in the Ellesmere Port and Chester area?
The Westminster Foundation represents the charitable interests of the Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor businesses. The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family have long-standing associations with Chester and Westminster, and this grant will directly benefit young people attending state schools and colleges in the Ellesmere Port and Chester regions by providing potentially life-changing opportunities they would otherwise struggle to access.
Why is the grant being used to fund work experience?
Completing work experience while in education has been proven to improve outcomes for young people – by increasing confidence and future earnings and reducing the chances of them becoming Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET). Making work experience more accessible to young people from state schools and colleges – who account for 93% of the UK student population – also benefits employers and supports the economy because it leads to more sustainable and diverse talent pipelines. As a national charity with UK-wide reach Speakers for Schools has a long-standing reputation for delivering high-quality virtual, in-person, or hybrid work experience as part of their standard offer.
How will Speakers for Schools increase access to work experience on this occasion?
To help maximise the impact of the award in the Ellesmere Port and Chester locality, on this occasion, Speakers for Schools will be collaborating closely with the region’s Local Enterprise Partnership, The Cheshire and Warrington Pledge Partnership, to organise and deliver an extended selection of summer work placements that will include options to do virtual work experience with leading national employers or in-person placements with local employers.
This arrangement will enable any student in Year 10 and 12 attending a state school and college in the Ellesmere Port and Chester area to benefit from the widest possible choice of work experience opportunities – including industries not typically represented in the region – and will ensure that there are no barriers to taking part.
When is this due to happen?
Planning is currently underway, and all placements will be delivered towards the end of the current academic year during term-time. Any state secondary schools and colleges wishing to register, please contact experience@speakersforschools.org
If you represent an organisation that offers grants for charities or would like to find out more about Speakers for Schools, including our work with Trusts and Foundations, Philanthropy, and Corporate Partnerships, please explore our fundraising opportunities.