Deloitte begins pioneering programme with Teach First to help tackle inequality

Deloitte, the business advisory firm, is today launching a new skills and education programme in conjunction with Teach First.  Deloitte Access will use the firm’s staff to support over 1000 students from Teach First schools as they develop the skills needed to access the best possible opportunities after their education; whether that is help applying to attend university or entering the professions. The partnership is the first of its kind for Teach First, who are facilitating relationships between Deloitte and the participating schools.

Deloitte will start working with 11 Teach First schools across the UK linked to the firm’s regional offices.  Each of the schools’ specific needs will be addressed, but will centre on supporting young people in the following areas: character and culture, enterprise skills, leadership and raising aspirations and employability.  The firm’s aim is to engage over 500 volunteers in supporting the delivery of the programme that will include workshops on interview skills, CV writing, presentation skills, and career mentoring – based on personal experiences and choices.

In addition, Deloitte will also be supporting Teach First’s award-winning HEAPS (Higher Education Access Programme for Schools) initiative to be introduced in these 11 schools and helping the scheme to develop a new Access to Employment element. This will reach a further 800 students across the country who are in another 80 Teach First schools.

David Cruickshank, Chairman of Deloitte, said:  “We are proud to be working with Teach First  to make students from all backgrounds aware of the opportunities available to them, whether that is going to university or starting a career.  Deloitte has a long history of supporting bright young students into the professions through its graduate, and more recently, BrightStart programme that allows students to join the firm after A-levels. 

“We have also worked closely with colleges and schools across the UK, to ensure employability skills are taught as well as offering mentoring opportunities to allow students to understand what career opportunities are available to them.  With help from Teach First, we hope we can not only increase the diversity in our own recruitment but help build a prosperous future for all students.”

Brett Wigdortz, Founder and CEO, Teach First, said:  “Our mission to end educational inequality is ambitious and we cannot achieve it alone. The Deloitte Access Programme marks an exciting step-change for us in the way in which we are able to bring the skills and expertise with our partners to bear on driving improvements in attainment, and raising the aspirations of pupils in low-income communities.

“Children from lower socio-economic backgrounds typically do not have access to the same education resources as those from wealthier backgrounds.  In Britain, this divide is more pronounced than any other developed country.  Teach First believes that every child has the right to a decent education, and we are delighted to enter into this innovative and exciting new partnership with Deloitte aimed at tackling this problem. “

Nick Hurd MP, Minister for Civil Society, said: “I congratulate Deloitte for setting up this skills and education programme with Teach First, which will help over 1000 young people get valuable work skills.

“I want to encourage more organisations to offer programmes like this, so that we can support many more vulnerable young people to do well at school, increase their employability skills and ultimately improve their job prospects.”

Ends

Notes to editors

About Deloitte
In this press release references to Deloitte are references to Deloitte LLP, which is among the country's leading professional services firms.

Deloitte LLP is the United Kingdom member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”), a UK private company limited by guarantee, whose member firms are legally separate and independent entities. Please see www.deloitte.co.uk/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of DTTL and its member firms.

The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.

Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

About Teach First
Teach First is a charity with the vision that no child’s educational success is limited by their socio-economic background. It believes that the scale of change needed is so great it requires a movement of leaders to make a difference at a pupil, school and system level.

Working with universities, schools and businesses, Teach First is working towards achieving its vision by enabling its participants and ambassadors in the classroom to raise the achievement, aspiration, and access to opportunity of children from low socio-economic backgrounds, whilst developing a network of leaders with a life-long commitment to ending inequality in education from both inside and outside the classroom.

Teach First currently operates in Wales and nine regions across England: London, West Midlands, East Midlands, Yorkshire the Humber, North West and the North East, South East, South Coast and the South West.

About HEAPS
Teach First’s Award Winning HEAPS (Higher Education Access Programme for Schools) initiative is a mentoring programmes aimed at supporting and inspiring increasing numbers of students to be more ambitious , informed and successful in the choices that they make around their future.
 HEAPS matches school-nominated pupils with a mentor to support them throughout sixth form as they consider options for their future. These mentors ensure that pupils on the programmes are getting access to advice and opportunities whilst inspiring them to achieve the best possible grades.