- Vicky Brock, Founder and CEO of Get Market Fit and Clear Returns wins prestigious award for speaking in a number of primary and secondary schools - Stirling Council becomes the UK’s number 1 local authority in student-employer encounters to boost youth employability - Prolific angel investor Sherry Coutu CBE describes equipping young people for the future of work as the ‘challenge of our generation’

GLASGOW, UK - Friday 1st December 2017. Prominent entrepreneur Vicky Brock was awarded the Founders4Schools award for Scotland’s Most Inspiring Business Person of the Year. The female tech entrepreneur was awarded for volunteering to speak at a number of primary and secondary schools across the country and accepting invitations to speak at more schools in the coming months to inspire young people about the world of work. The award was presented to [WINNER] at last night’s Entrepreneurial Scotland Awards. After a recent Workshop Event at Airdrie Academy, one student commented that “Vicky Brock was such an inspiration and is so entertaining. She really opened my eyes to what the daily life of a tech entrepreneur is like and why it’s important for Scotland’s economy.” Another pupil said “Vicky was really good. I was able to learn a lot about how ideas are created into a successful business.” Vicky’s contribution comes amidst a wave of volunteering among the business community across Scotland, particularly in the Stirling area which recently became the UK’s number 1 local authority for student-employer encounters, achieving 803 encounters per 1,000 students since launching during the summer. Gov-Tech Education charity Founders4Schools (F4S), whose mission is to connect inspiring business leaders with schools to increase youth employability, has worked with Skills Development Scotland and the DYW Regional Groups to facilitate the encounters and has received significant support from Entrepreneurial Scotland. F4S recently announced an appeal to the Scottish business community, asking every business person working in an exciting company who remembers what it was like when you were aged 13-18 and thinking about work to join their online platform today to help inspire the next generation and close the skills gap. If you are in a leadership position in an exciting innovative business, you can sign up for free by visiting https://mywow.founders4schools.org.uk/ F4S Chairman Sherry Coutu CBE commented that “It’s more important than ever that we inspire young people in our communities and boost youth employability, helping young people transition from education into their world of work. All of us in business can help them to find their passion in life. It’s the challenge of a generation.” ENDS For media relations contact: Joe McRoberts at Founders4Schools: marketing@founders4schools.org.uk Registered Charity Number 1162197 About Founders4Schools: Founders4Schools (F4S) builds smart connections between schools and the world of work. As a GovTech charity operating in the education sector, it is dedicated to improving the ecosystem for scaleups by closing the skills gap. F4S works with enterprise advisors, school coordinators and head teachers in primary and secondary schools throughout England and Scotland to help their pupils aged 8 to 16 reach the milestone of at least four encounters with employers each year and to help their pupils aged 16-24 reach the milestone of 140 hours of work experience placements. F4S works nationally and locally with organisations including the Science Park Association, the LEP Network, LinkedIn, Duedil, the CBI, FSB, IOD, Chambers of Commerce, LEPs, Local Authorities and CEC. National partners include the BBC, Barclays Bank, The Evolution Trust, Peter Cundill Foundation and Nominet Trust. Local partners include regional government such as Camden Council, as well as public, private and third sector business, and community support groups and networks. Their programmes help educators to connect with successful, growing businesses through a wide variety of career and business encounters. Their work-experience service, Workfinder, which is available on mobile phones, puts the young person at the centre of the search process and enables them to gain work experience and apprenticeship roles with fast-growing businesses within their local communities. The programme is sustained by more than 2,000 partners and 35,000 business leaders of startups and scaleups who volunteer their time. More than 100,000 young people have had on average two encounters with business leaders. After such encounters, 96% reported feeling inspired by the speakers, 87% said they wished to go into business (versus the national average of 60%) and 54% were keen to go on to study STEM subjects (twice the national average).