Follow My Leader gives young people the chance to shadow inspirational leaders in their chosen sector to find out what their dream job would entail on a daily basis. The programme aims to give young people a REAL insight into the world of work and what dedication it takes to get to the top of the game.  During the experience they will learn and network with leaders in their chosen sector to gain inspiration, knowledge and insight.

Our Service

Follow My Leader gives a young person the opportunity to follow an inspirational role model in their industry of interest. Alongside the work experience, we can also provide the following support to clients:-

• Induction session
• Career coaching
• Business coaching
• Business mentor

The range of services accessed by the client depends on the level of funding available. The Follow My Leader experience can be accredited with an ILM Level 2 Qualification in Exploring Business Enterprise.

Our Clients

Follow My Leader is aimed at young people aged 16 to 25 both in and out of education who wish to gain valuable work experience in an industry of their choice. Typically this programme is funded via educational establishments or public sector organisations to help inspire young people to progress their career.

Track Record

Between December 2009 and November 2010, we have given 90 young people the opportunity to meet and follow inspirational leaders through arranged interviews and work placements.

As a result of our support, our clients feel they have:-  

• Increased confidence and clarity on their career ambitions
• New business skills to put into practice and on their CV
• A personal action plan to achieve their ambitions
• A mentor to provide continued support post placement.
• A network of influential contacts for securing further work

Testimonials

Ufuk Gokkaya

“My placement has given me a great opportunity to meet new people and gain new skills whilst working within a professional working environment. This experience isn't like other placements schemes as it entitles me to work closely with the senior directors. I am positive that this experience will boost my CV and prove a great stepping stone to more interesting opportunities, I've already found an opportunity with a theatre company who works with MSFT and have shown interest in hiring me after the placement.”

Aidan Norris

“The Follow My Leader programme has given me a lot of experience interviewing and shadowing people in the film industry such as Lippy People, Prison TV Trust, Princes Trust, Onroad Media, London Young Voices and Emily James, and Just Do It.com and many more. I have shadowed two film producers and they are helping me develop the skills I need to make my own projects. Thanks to the Follow My Leader Programme for giving me the opportunity to build my confidence and experience and to further my education and knowledge about my career in the film industry.”

Matthew Bradley

“I was given the opportunity to meet and interview a range of leaders in the sports profession, including a Radio Sports Broadcaster, a Former Professional Footballer and numerous sports coaches. I’ve learnt lots of new skills, and both my networking and interviewing techniques have improved – I’ve found it extremely motivating. I have learnt so much about business and I am confident for the future with new skills.”

Finding and securing a good job opportunity can be a maze for young people, and sourcing the right staff can be really tough for employers. We launched Your Nxt Step with the vision of helping young people find the right job and employers to recruit and nurture raw young talent. We assist with the sourcing of suitable candidates and also the development of the new recruit through coaching and training to help them perform to exceptional standards.

Our Service

Your Nxt Step helps young people to secure new job opportunities and employers to recruit suitable young people. We provide the following services:-

• An  online career support website and jobs board
• Pro-active marketing of job opportunities to target groups
• Recruitment support for employers
• Coaching support for employees and employers
• Training (non accredited and accredited with ILM Qualifications)

We help both young people and employers take their next step to achieving business success.

Find out more visit www.yournxtstep.co.uk now

Our Clients

Your Nxt Step focuses on placing young people aged 16-30 into employment with employers of all different sizes and industry sectors. We have worked with young people from a range of backgrounds, including long term unemployed, graduates, ex-offenders, school-leavers.  We run a our service on a commercial basis with employers, as well as having contracts with public sector bodies to support both employers and young people free of charge for specific projects and initiatives.

Track Record

Between December 2009 and November 2010 our recruitment team placed 520 individuals into newly created job opportunities, working with 129 employers.

To continue to support their development the team has delivered over 3500 one-to-one coaching sessions and 70 training workshops over the course of the year to support a total of 640 individuals who have been placed into employment by Striding Out or our partners.  Our support has focussed on equipping the new employees with key business skills and attributes to help them succeed in their current and future job roles. 63 of the participating individuals are working towards accrediting their training with a Level 2 Award from the Institute in Leadership and Management Qualification in Effective Team Member Skills, Team Leadership Skills or Mentoring Skills.

We launched the YourNxtStep.co.uk website in November 2009 and it has since attracted over 2200 visitors who are seeking inspiration, information and career support.

As a result of our support, our clients feel they have:-  

• Secured a job opportunity they aspired to
• Developed essential new skills
• Enhanced their CV
• Got a greater understanding of business
• Achieved greater clarity on their career direction

Testimonials  

Priya Patel was recruited as an Expeditions Assistant for Blue Ventures.

“I was looking for a job in vain for 6 months.  As a recent graduate I was feeling pretty low but then I was advised by my job adviser to look through Future Jobs Fund.  A couple of days later I had my first interview with a coach from Striding Out and less than a week later I was employed!  They took on board everything I had told them about what I wanted to do career-wise and directed me to the most relative jobs I could never have found by myself - I'm just gutted I didn't know about them sooner!”

Dale O'Keeffe was recruited as a Filmmaker for Striding Out

“As I love working in the media industry, getting paid for a job in this field was my ideal, so when the 6 month placement as a Filmmaker came up I jumped at the chance. I filmed interviews for the new career website YourNxtStep, a project that was shortlisted for a Microsoft Award. During my work placement I also had access to coaching and training opportunities, which has been very helpful. I’ve applied for several jobs within the last month and when you have to answer application questions,  the things I’ve learnt in the workshops enabled me to give really good in-depth answers.” 

Alison Hunter was recruited as an Administrator for Daisy Green Magazine

“Landing this job has allowed me to try new things and gain experience of working on a magazine, which includes dealing with competitions, designing flyers and emailing clients. I have been able to gain more confidence, experience, industry knowledge and vital skills in communication, organisation and administration. The coaching support has helped a lot, it has given me someone to talk to and solve my problems. It has allowed me to see goals and find ways to accomplish them. “

Kayla Whiting was recruited as an Administrator at Poached Creative.