OakNorth, a regulated digital bank, and Founders4Schools, an ed-tech charity for teachers, have announced a new partnership to support 100,000 secondary school students -16 year-olds) – “including 40,000 from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds – over the next three years.” The program will provide secondary school students “with mentorship and inspiration from university students who have chosen subjects that require maths.”
In return for their volunteering to mentor, the university students “will have the opportunity to secure work experience and internships with OakNorth and other leading businesses from across the Founders4Schools’ network in critical sectors such as green/climate science, Fintech, life sciences, data science/AI, therapeutic care services, hospitality/tourism, and creative/performing arts.”
There’s a direct link between equipping their younger generation “with skills in emerging key sectors and economic growth, as pointed out in a recent report, Full Scale, from the Social Market Foundation, commissioned by OakNorth.”
The new partnership will be one of the flagship programs of OakNorth’s 1+1% philanthropic commitment, where OakNorth “donates 1% of its annual group profits and 1% of its workforce’s time (two working days per year) to supporting charitable causes and socially minded enterprises around the world.”
Founders4Schools will utilize its online platforms and networks “to connect disadvantaged school students with university mentors, who in turn will gain work placement opportunities with some of the UK’s most successful growth companies.”
Sherry Coutu CBE, Co-founder & Chair of Founders4Schools and Author of the Scaleup Report on UK Economic Growth, said she was excited about he program:
“We’re not merely prepping young people for jobs – we’re crafting enhanced career pathways that benefit both their future and the UK’s economic growth.”
Rishi Khosla, co-founder and CEO of OakNorth, shared that mentorship played a significant role in his formation and they want to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.