Bridging the Education-Employment Gap
Maples’ Mentoring programme partner school Loreto Crumlin. with Robin McDonnell, Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution & Insolvency at Maples and Tomas Sercovich, CEO BITCI
In partnership with Business in the Community Ireland, the Mentorship Programme and the Summer Work Placement Programme provide accessible ways in which your organisation can empower young people, transform lives and bridge the education-employment gap for young people experiencing disadvantage.
Last month, KPMG hosted the graduation ceremony for the BITC Mentoring Programme 2023, celebrating the successes of the 240 young people who had participated in the programme last year.
Students from CBS Westland Row with Karina Howley, Head of Corporate Citizenship & Diversity at KPMG and John Davis, Career Guidance Counsellor in CBS Westland Row and Tomas Sercovich, CEO BITCI (to back)
Reflecting the support of the basis.point community, the participation of 140 senior-cycle DEIS students and 120 mentors can be directly attributed to basis.point funding. Our involvement in the programme has expanded continuously and now 17 of the 32 partnerships are now funded by basis.point with partnerships in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Wicklow and Kildare.
One of the young participants credits the programme with helping her overcome her fear of the Leaving Cert.
My Mentor believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. She motivated me to put the work in and helped me realise that it would be worth it in the end.
Urgent call out for host companies
The Summer Work Placement Programme (SWPP) was relaunched in Summer 2023, thanks to partner programme funding between IPUT and basis.point. The programme provides post-Leaving Cert students with valuable work experience and aims to level the playing field for young people from disadvantaged areas by offering access to career paths they might not otherwise have considered.
Feedback from both participants and host companies was overwhelmingly positive.
Participants in the Summer Work Placement Programme 2023
This year we are looking to place 20 post Leaving Certificate students with our Patron organisations. The students are all over 18 and will have recently sat their Leaving Certificate through one of 6 North East Inner City (NEIC) DEIS schools.
Initiatives like the Summer Work Placement Programme play a crucial role in bridging the gap between education and employment, providing students with the skills, confidence, and opportunities they need to succeed in their careers. By engaging in something like this, companies not only contribute to their communities but also enhance their corporate social responsibility efforts and employee engagement.
Programme Details
- Post Leaving Cert Students from North East Inner City schools
- Students are 18+, no Garda Vetting is required
- Work Placement of 6-8 weeks during July and August
- Companies required to pay the placement salary
- BITCI will manage and administer the programme and provide all necessary support to schools and companies
- Involvement in this programme will raise aspirations and provide students with access to career paths outside their existing network. By being involved, your company has the opportunity to change lives.
Diversity and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do and this is a great opportunity to actively play a role in driving an initiative that will go some way towards eliminating barriers and foster greater inclusion in the workplace for all our benefit.
Sincere thanks to IPUT, Mediolanum, Amundi, Caceis, KBI Global Investors, Waystone and B-Flexion who have already agreed to take interns. If you feel your organisation is able to offer work experience and would like to get involved in the programme please contact Sharon Lett, volunteering administrator at basis.point. The paid summer placements are generally for 6 to 8 weeks.
