Skills for Life

The Talent Foundry supports schools that have higher than average rates of deprivation, meaning our educational programmes are targeted where they are needed most.

Through our 9-year partnership with M&G plc, we’ve helped 13,000+ young people in the UK’s most disadvantaged communities through a multi-faceted Skills for Life programme. Our innovative approach and shared commitment to talented, underserved young people consists of well-established, skills development initiatives and new elements for 22/23. These free programmes reach thousands of young people annually, from Edinburgh to Taunton. For many schools the programme is embedded into their annual careers provision. From June 2022 – May 2023, with ongoing support of M&G, we introduced: Place-based, in-depth interventions in Middlesbrough; a pre-apprenticeship programme (Bridge to M&G); expansion of the Enterprise (Maths) Challenge; and a bursary for higher education. Built in partnership with M&G, this complemented our national Skills for Life programme. Our Bridge programme has supported three young people to secure apprenticeships at M&G – with successful students acting as mentors on other Skills for Life initiatives. With hundreds of hours of support from M&G colleagues, thousands of young people have been equipped with the crucial core skills and confidence needed to succeed in school and employment.