Founders4Schools Impact Review 2023-24

Chair's Welcome

As we reflect on the past year and the nine-year journey of F4S, I am thrilled to share the remarkable progress we have made in our mission to drive economic growth through curated learning experiences delivered by our expert mentors. Focusing on three key areas, F4S strives to design and curate world-class learning opportunities, deliver these experiences both digitally and in-person to students and employees of small businesses and charities, and provide essential support for individuals, their employers, and educational institutions in monitoring and verifying skill development. Through these efforts, we aim to foster meaningful connections and create lasting impact for all those we serve.

Skills Enhancement: To date, we have facilitated skill-enhancing connections for over 710,000 students, teachers, career leads and 12,000 SME employees with volunteers we train and resources we curate, providing invaluable mentorship and guidance. Programmes like Digital Boost, OakNorth, Maths4Girls and Superpower have opened better horizons for individuals aged from 6 to 60, contributing to quality education and reducing inequalities.

Educator Support: We remain committed to supporting educators with resources that enhance teaching and extend influence beyond the classroom. By integrating our programmes into curricula, we are helping to equip all students with crucial Ai and Data skills for future success.

Volunteer Support: Over 30,000 business volunteers have shared their expertise with students, educators, and individuals working in small businesses, broadening perspectives and fostering skills, aspirations and growth. Our research & feedback loops help them know how to say what needs to be said for that specific audience.

Multi-Academy Trust Partnerships: Relationships with MATs and Colleges have allowed us to deliver consistent, high-quality career education across multiple schools, ensuring a greater number of students benefit from our programmes. This will absolutely be our focus next year.

Corporate Partnerships: Our corporate partners have been crucial in expanding our reach and impact. Their support has enabled us to provide learning opportunities to diverse groups, contributing to both quality education and economic growth. Our training helped their employees be confident and to gain new skills and our reporting provided granularity for their sustainability reports and internal goals.

Local Government Support: Local government partners have been vital in bringing our initiatives to communities nationwide, ensuring students from all backgrounds have access to transformative learning opportunities.

Parental Engagement: We deepened our provision of tools for parents and resources to support their children's career exploration and personal development, recognising their crucial role in shaping young lives.

Employee & Trustee Dedication: I want to acknowledge our employees for their unwavering commitment and innovative approaches that drive our impactful programmes and our Trustees, Members and Advisors for their

strategic guidance, ensuring we remain focused on our mission while adapting to the evolving educational landscape. We waved farewell to Gori Yahara, John Mushriqui and Jonathan Pearl this year and welcomed Divesh Chandiramani, Julian Palmer and Stuart Watson.

Looking Ahead: While we celebrate our achievements, we recognise the work ahead needed to drive tangible long-term impact: Our priorities include:

• Empowering Schools & SMEs: We aim to streamline access to reliable and effective resources, connecting users with our expert network.
• Enabling Action Beyond Advice: We are enhancing services to provide comprehensive support, including action plans, hands-on clinics, and in-depth mentoring.
• Revamping Impact Tracking: We are improving impact tracking systems to better understand and communicate effective changes.
• Inclusion: We are doubling down on inclusion of all individuals access so that people who have disabilities and who had SEN get all the help they deserve.

We remain committed to addressing the UK's skills gap and all the unfairness that comes with that. With our dedicated team and supportive network, we believe we are well-positioned to continue making a positive more sustainable future for all.