How many of us can say we do a job that truly makes a difference? Anne Bailey can, as every day she – and her dedicated team – help to empower young people to ‘dream big’.
Anne founded Form the Future in 2015, with business partner Michaela Eschbach, to connect students to a world of career opportunities by linking schools and businesses. The benefits are two-fold; enthusiastic young minds gain inspiration and skills, whilst volunteers experience the feel-good factor of helping the next generation.
Anne had previously worked for corporates such as BT, which ran education programmes within schools – and when she moved to Cambridge, she became concerned at the system’s focus on exam results, and lack of practical career advice. So, she began approaching schools about the possibility of engaging with local companies - and so the journey began.
Form the Future’s work sees staff from large firms including ARM, Marshall and Cambridge University Hospitals, alongside smaller indies, give their time to share their career stories, helping make students curious about their own potential.
Events include Enterprise Days, with scholars tasked to come up with imaginative product ideas. There’s the Cambridge LaunchPad Project, focusing on making science, technology, engineering and maths more inclusive, and in response to Covid-19 – Form the Future’s work is increasingly digital, with many of the usual in-school events successfully taking place virtually.
There’s also practical help on creating sparkling CVs, interview techniques, careers advice, work experience placements and apprenticeship opportunities - with sessions available both virtually and in person.
Though Anne’s team is small – four full time and 10 part-time – their impact is huge, helping around 20,000 students, aged eight upwards, each year.
They’ve recently expanded into schools in other areas of the UK, and thanks to their Erasmus programme, Form the Future (which incidentally is a Cambridge Network member) is now in demand in Norway, Finland and Denmark. This amazing Cambridge-based business looks set to go global!
Form The Future
47-51 Norfolk Street
Cambridge
CB1 2LD
Tel: 01223 781296
www.formthefuture.org.uk
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