Prospects in the City

It is getting more and more difficult for young people to get a real feel of the world of work. For the past 3 years Prospects in the City have been raising aspirations of young people showing them the opportunities available to them in the City.

Through our long established links with some of the top City institutions, we have designed an interactive programme enabling students to engage directly in occupational areas that are traditionally very difficult to find work experience in – such as finance, law and media.

Over a week we aim to give young people an insight into the work different organisations do, through on-site tours and presentations from a variety of companies such as Lloyds of London, Bloomberg, National Theatre and many others.

The students are accompanied by trained careers advisers throughout the week. Help is on hand to give guidance with CV preparation, interview techniques and personal statements for UCAS. All of which helps to give students the best chance in a very competitive environment.

But don’t take our word for it………..

“I wanted to thank you for a wonderful week! I have learnt a lot, and have a better idea of the direction in which I want to go.” Kasturi Shah, The Cheltenham Ladies College

“The week has been very helpful because I now know how and what to write in a CV and what kind of Career path I should take.” Jonathon Welch, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Faversham, Kent

“My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the Experience of Work Week in the City. It was far more useful to her than a traditional work experience placement! A worthwhile investment.” Parent of year 11 student from Wilmington Grammar School for Girls, Kent.

Places are allocated on a first come first served basis so I would urge you to return the booking form as quickly as possible. Last year we had an overwhelming response and all places were filled in a matter of weeks. The cost for this event is £250.00 plus vat per place .

If you have any queries regarding our event please phone the events team on 0208 315 1245 or email me siobhan.dunkley@prospects.co.uk

According to figures from UCAS, 675,000 students applied to start undergraduate degrees last September – nearly 69,000 more than the previous year.

Due to shortfalls in higher education funding as a consequence of the budget deficit, the increase in places on degree courses was limited to 10,000. The record number of applications means that more students are applying than there are places available, and competition is fierce. Prospects in the City has responded by offering a series of walks, workshops and seminars to help young people produce winning application forms, to secure a place at university.

Prospects in the City Coordinator Katie Mawhinney says, “Youngsters applying to university need to explain why they want to go into a profession and give examples of relevant work experience. This is like gold dust for their application forms.” “An example of this ‘gold dust’,” explains Katie, “is legal walks organised by Prospects in the City.” Participants get the opportunity to visit a top City law firm, are given advice on how to apply for university and see what a lawyer actually does on a day-to-day basis. Recently a group of schoolchildren taking part in a legal walk visited international law firm Reed Smith and participated in a workshop led by BPP Law School.

“…candidates are put in direct contact with industry professionals and see first hand what goes on…Katie Mawhinney, PitC Coordinator “

Walks aimed at those wanting to carve out a successful career in finance are centred around London’s financial district. Firms such as JP Morgan have signed up with Prospects in the City to host workshops, which allow candidates to talk directly to a range of professionals such as underwriters, accountants and brokers.

“After attending one of our events, university applicants have many things to put on their application forms, and can explain exactly why they want to go into a certain area of business because they have experienced it,” says Katie.

Prospects in the City is also supporting young people who don’t want to go on to further full time study, through pioneering ‘Not Going to Uni’ events. Its most recent event, held in December, provided teachers and advisers with information about opportunities for young people who want to bypass university. Prospects in the City plans to open up future ‘Not Going to Uni’ events to students and parents.

Graduates are also being catered for by Prospects in the City’s new Networking and Employability sessions. They will have the opportunity to meet a range of employers and recruiters to discuss job opportunities, and learn how to improve their job search techniques, to make them more employable.

Katie says, “We aim to increase our candidates’ chances of success by arming them with information, giving them real life experiences and opening their eyes to what it’s really like to work in the City.”

For more information about Prospects in the City, email katie.mawhinney@prospects.co.uk