Leading digital platforms such as Spotify, despite their global popularity and innovative technology, may still be seen as difficult employers to access by many young people. Many students see only traditional paths into the music and audio industry, which allows for a restricted number of opportunities. Speakers for Schools wants to change this, so we […]

Work experience can seem like a daunting task, one that may require a lot of planning and tearing hair out to make sure every second of a student’s day is accounted for. To take the pain out of planning your placements, the Experience Team have compiled their favourite examples of activities our employers have told […]

Experience (formerly S4SNextGen) is a delivery partner for the Creative Careers Programme and is working with over thirty creative employers to demystify the creative industries through work placements and insight days.   The rapid development of the creative sector offers a variety of new roles and opportunities in new and well-known professions. Whilst creativity is […]

As a delivery partner for the Creative Careers programme, S4SNextGen is working with over thirty creative employers to demystify the creative industries through work placements and insight days. Here we share what leading creative agency M&C Saatchi did during their work experience week this October. Students are often not aware of the full breadth of […]

Hosting work experience students can benefit organisations in many ways – helping to diversify their workforces, feeding into their early talent pipelines and building links with communities, but there are often roadblocks along the way. We solve some of the questions we’re often asked to help you get the most from work experience and insight […]

Autumn 2019 is one of the most exciting terms yet for S4SNextGen. Speakers for Schools and S4SNextGen welcomed our new chief executive, Jason Elsom, early in the new academic year. Jason joins with a wealth of experience, having held leadership roles in education and technology, and brings his innovative ideas and enthusiasm to the Speakers […]

Delroy Beverley, one of our most committed and passionate Speakers for Schools speakers recently spoke in multiple schools on the same day. Delroy is passionate about the work he does with us, and about supporting students to aim high and achieve their dreams. As one of our most popular speakers, he delivers highly motivated presentations […]

The impact of speakers on pupils’ motivation & attitude and self belief New research examines external speakers in state and independent schools Two leading education charities, Education and Employers & Speakers for Schools have joined together to publish a new report evaluating the impact of external speakers in secondary schools. Insights and Inspiration: Evaluating the […]

As more and more speakers and schools are coordinating fireside chats for their S4S talks, we wanted to be sure to share some top tips and best practice! When speakers and schools are introduced to one another over email, it is important to discuss the chosen format for the talk. If the speaker would prefer […]

The hard part is over (speaker’s office and school have finally been introduced) and now the most important of the planning for your talk needs to take place – the short phone call! At Speakers for Schools, we believe that to get the most impact out of your school talk, the speaker’s office and the […]

Last month, Industrial Light & Magic participated in Speakers for Schools’ Speaker Programme and S4SNextGen Work Experience Programme. First, year 9 and 10 students at Thomas Tallis School had the opportunity to hear from one of the Visual Effects industry’s top figures, Louise Hussey. A few weeks later, ILM hosted their first S4SNextGen work experience […]

Welcome back! Teachers and students, we hope you have had a wonderful summer break and we look forward to working with you this academic year on school talks. Speakers and their organisations, we are grateful for your support last academic year and look forward to working with you on talks and work experience placements this […]

To make better informed decisions and have more options for their futures, students need to know more. They might think that their skills or talents only link to one career – that an interest in the theatre can only lead to acting or that a love of literature only gives the option to become an […]

World-leading publishers Penguin Random House welcomed eight sixth form students to their Strand offices in August for a week of industry insights and practical experience. The students spent the week with different staff and departments, including publicity, marketing and editorial and learned more about the publishing process. One said, “I didn’t realise how many sectors there […]

We kicked off the Creative Careers Programme talk series with a whole variety of talks from speakers within the Creative Industries, last academic year. Here is a selection of talks from our speakers, spanning fine art, science, music, publishing and animation & visual effects. Maureen Paley, Artist and Gallery Owner World renowned artist, gallery owner […]

Year 9’s had the chance to see Actor Paterson Joseph interviewed about his career, life lessons and opportunities in the creative sectors – they also had the chance to put their own questions to Paterson! Paterson shared insights from his career and discussed his passion for acting and the creative sectors, telling the audience he […]

Over 150 students in South London had the chance to see Jamal Edwards interview Naomi Campbell about confidence, resilience, diversity in fashion and making time to give back. Naomi shared insights from her career from being scouted in Covent Garden at 15 to becoming the first Black woman on the cover of French Vogue. Jamal […]

Danny Jones talks creativity and music at Brentside High School as part of Speakers for Schools This week students and staff at Brentside High School were delighted to welcome Danny Jones, Lead Singer & Guitarist, McFly & Coach, The Voice Kids UK to their school as part of the Speakers for Schools programme. Over 250 students from Year […]

The summer term saw hundreds of speakers delivering talks in schools across the UK. Here are just a few examples of speakers sharing their insights and inspiration with students. “Be calculated in your careers decisions. Play the chances in your favour. Take advantage of your opportunities.” In June, Fiona Dunsire shared her experiences and advice with a […]

We’re very proud to announce that we’ve now had over 1,500 students take place in S4SNextGen placements. That’s over 30,000 hours of work experience at top employers across the UK. From Portsmouth to Edinburgh and Bristol to Bury St Edmunds, students have been taking valuable placements in sectors including Creative, Law, Finance, STEM, Automotive and Professional Services. […]

This week students had the chance to hear from Facebook Vice President Nicola Mendelsohn about her experiences that unexpectedly landed her in the tech sector, her top tips for success and the future of technology. “You are always learning. Do not think that when you finish school- that’s it. Learning takes on so many different […]

This year has already seen dozens of speakers delivering talks across the East Midlands. Below are a few highlights from what we’ve seen so far.   Baroness Tina Stowell Baroness Tina Stowell spoke to students from Year 10 to Year 13 at South Nottinghamshire Academy about how attitude can be key to success. “She was […]

Speakers for Schools has long worked with Inspiring the Future to complement our programme of  high-profile, inspiring figures who can help students hear from those influential figures shaping today. Offering volunteers from all levels of their careers and a range of industries, InspiringtheFuture.org connects state schools with volunteers to talk about their careers and offer careers activities, […]

”The creative industries benefit from diversity” Alan Bishop has had an extensive career in the creative sector, starting in advertising working for Saatchi & Saatchi. Now the CEO of the Creative Industries Federation, a membership body that represents the UK’s fast-growing sector, Alan is well placed to speak about the value of working in the creative sector. “When […]

‘Acting and drama at school are so important because they ‘install’ the software that’s going to help all the other things to run.’ A thought-provoking metaphor from actor and director, Samuel West. Known for the voice of Pongo in 101 Dalmatians II and theatre work including Richard II, Samuel focused much of his talk on the […]

A Role for Every Skill: Jellyfish Pictures: VFX and Animation Studios Does anyone remember the news stories when Game of Thrones released an episode including a very out-of-place water bottle? Visual effects can range from a small change in the scene (such as removing said water bottle), impressively complicated animations or wonderfully dramatic explosions. ‘If […]

One of the biggest challenges for diversity and inclusion teams is how to reach new and diverse talent at the start of their careers. How do you encourage a student who’s never heard of your industry, let alone your organisation, to consider a career with you? We helped the National Trust to reach a broader […]

This week headed to Orchards Academy to hear from Sterling Prize winner, Professor Sadie Morgan about the importance of creativity and pursuing what you love. ”When you’re thinking about what you want to do, think about how you want to change and how you want to affect your environment.” Professor Morgan shared a lot of […]

Tessa Matchett encourages students to pursue their dreams Tessa Matchett is head of press at ITV. Her message was simple: find what you love and pursue what you enjoy. “You’re going to work for a long time. It’s important to find something you love and enjoy.” Much of Tessa’s talk was centred around life lessons and why […]

‘It’s opened my eyes to the world of theatre’ Ana, 15 ‘I thought it’s just a theatre…but it’s actually so much more than that’ Shania, 15 ‘This is a brilliant opportunity for me to find out different aspects of the industry’ Kewin, 16 The versatility and variety of roles across the creative sector is awe […]

Opening his talk at Adeyfield School, the CEO of Penguin Random House UK, Tom Weldon had a bold statement for the students: ”My mission is to try and persuade as many of you as possible to work in publishing.” Founded in the 1930s, Penguin Random House is the biggest publisher in the world and one of the most internationally […]

On Wednesday, we had the pleasure of attending the launch event for the Creative Careers Programme. Hosted at Burberry‘s offices in Leeds, the event was packed full of representatives from across the creative industries as well as local students eager to learn more about careers in the sector. The Creative Careers Programme is an industry-wide […]

Speakers for Schools is proud to be partnering with the Creative Industries Federation, Creative and Cultural Skillset and Screen Skills as part of the national Creative Careers strategy. >>> Find out more about how we can work with you on engagement from top figures and their organisations: Working with Our Charity PDF Press Release New programme […]

My work experience at the National Portrait Gallery An S4SNextGen student’s perspective This Autumn, hundreds of state schools students across the UK took part in S4SNextGen work experience placements at top firms from finance to TV production, tech to think tanks and legal to automotive. Here is a student’s perspective from Alika, Year 11, Clapton Girls Academy on her […]

This year’s first S4SNextGen Employer Best-Practice symposium took us to the fabulous Salesforce Tower. The third of its kind, this symposium sought to share the candid experiences of students and employers on how to achieve an engaging and valuable work experience programme. The half-day event was attended by employers in the Speakers for Schools network as well as those looking to […]

Do you have an idea for the way tech can confront the challenges of today? Do you dream of your idea becoming a reality? We’ve teamed up with Founders of the Future  for this year’s, The F Factor – a national start-up competition organised by Founders of the Future for young budding entrepreneurs, aged between 14 – 25 […]

It was an early start in Ealing. Despite the drizzly, cold rain there was an underlying excitement in the room. The students at Featherstone High School had just been informed that two very special guests were coming to speak to them. All would be revealed shortly. Little did they know that 20 minutes earlier the CEO of Sky, Jeremy […]