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Powering future careers: teaching employability skills to Y9 students in Islington


Open Palm volunteer speaking at a Y9 assembly at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school

Preparing young people for career success is what our employability programme, WYZ For Work, is all about. We're delighted to support Elizabeth Garrett Anderson secondary school in Islington, London, providing their students with important employability skills for the future.


Over the past term, two wonderful Year 9 cohorts have been working hard on our WYZ For Work programme. They've developed practical skills and have learnt about a range of career options. Students gain a nationally-recognised PSHE accreditation after completing our course.


Gaining vital exposure to the workplace


On top of that, students can put their new skills into practice on our work experience programme.



Students who have completed our course can apply for work experience with our partner organisations. These opportunities range from Sports, to Tech and Law. We helped students from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson secure interviews for placements that start from Easter 2022.

We ran practice sessions ahead of students' official interviews. They boosted the students' confidence and helped them to know what to expect for the real thing. The work experience interviews were also a great way for them to apply their newfound interview skills and gain experience of the process.


Recent studies show that the majority of young people in the UK think that their career prospects are worsening. On top of that, a poll of 1,000 people aged 16 - 21 showed that most ethnic minority young people feel that their ethnicity could impact their job opportunities. The employability skills and work experience that we provide have never been more important.

Improving career prospects


We're committed to improving young people's career prospects by equipping them with critical skills and experience. We also address racial inequalities in employment through our targeted programme that is aimed at ethnic minority young people, but open to all.


"We're helping to create meaningful opportunities for young people. Careers are a series of choices. We're providing young people with as much information and exposure as possible, so that they can make decisions to thrive." - Ralph McBaiden - Trustee and Co-Founder at Open Palm

If you'd like to learn more about our WYZ For Work programme or sign up for free, you can click here.


If you'd like to discuss enrolling a group, please email us at info@openpalm.org.uk





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