A pioneering Northern Ireland-based, not-for-profit company is set to revolutionise careers and skills events for young people across the province.
On Thursday, 20th and Friday, 21st June 2019 over 1,200 Year 9 students from nine schools across Northern Ireland attended the first 4C UR Future “Live” event.
The two-day event provided students with the opportunity to interact with a diverse selection of simulated work experiences, which used gamification and a hands-on approach to not only engage the students, but to also uncover their unique combination of aptitudes and strengths. The information collected by 4C UR Future will be used to create a personal profile for each student, which can be used by them to help inform their GCSE subject choices, as well as guide them to the wide range of existing career interventions available.
Kathryn Wylie, Teacher at Ballymena Academy – one of the participating schools – said: “This inaugural career event is a wonderful and exciting new initiative. Pupils and staff from Ballymena Academy are delighted to have been invited to attend. It’s refreshing to see so many local companies unite, reach out, and engage with schools on such a large scale. We thoroughly enjoyed the day’s activities and look forward to receiving the student’s Career Passports.”
The initiative achieved significant support across the economic spectrum, with both large and small employers representing each major sector, together with a range of colleges and charities who helped bring the event to life. The cross-sector event was developed and delivered with the support of over 30 local companies, who also provided over 80 volunteers to assist with the facilitation of the simulated work experience games on the day.
Founder of 4C UR Future, Rose Mary Stalker, said, “Given the extent and pace of change and transformation in the world of work, it is going to become increasingly challenging for school careers services to stay on top of the diverse range of career possibilities available to young people. I saw the need for a cross-sector employer and educator collaboration, and established 4C UR Future as a result. This event aims to improve employability, skills, and career provision for young people by putting them at the centre of the process – giving them more control over their own futures. There is nothing like this within the careers space.”
Kainos was one of the first companies to sign up to support the event. Gemma Crothers, CSR Manager, at Kainos said: “We’re delighted to be taking part in this careers event by 4C UR Future. We’ve seen through our own education programme ‘Kainos Academy’ that practical and real-world experiences are the best way to help young people make informed career choices. An event like 4C UR Future “Live”, which focuses on hands-on activities, has such a fantastic impact. Six of our team volunteered and they were delighted to give students a taste of a career in tech!”
Rose Mary added: “This event is just the beginning of future collaborative initiatives. With the world of work changing so quickly, our aim is to leverage our support network of educators, coaches, businesses, community trusts, funders, and industry experts to help guide young people in accessing meaningful work and sustainable economic opportunities that are aligned with their own unique talents and aptitudes. Together, we can be game changers, and “4C” a better future for all.”
To find out more about 4C UR FUTURE LIVE and how you can get involved, go to rosemary.
What the businesses said:
Johanna Donaghy, Training and Development Manager at Cranswick (Ballymena) said: “Cranswick are delighted to play a key role in this innovative opportunity to engage with students through a fun but clever means of helping them identify the skills and talents they have a clear aptitude for. This early intervention to help inform subject choices for GCSE, and ultimately career choices for the students, is inspired. Their interaction with the games and activities will not only help to identify their talents and skills, but also give them a taste of the types of jobs and careers they can steer their studies towards in the future.”
Rachel Doherty, Organisational Development Manager at PAC (Carrickfergus) said: “The future of work is changing – with advancements in technology being just one factor that is significantly impacting the types of jobs today’s young people will embark upon in their lifetime. PAC are delighted to support 4C UR Future “Live”, giving Year 9 students the opportunity to learn about career options in a hands-on and interactive way, so they can make informed choices not only for their GCSE subjects, but for their own futures as well.”
Sinead Rafferty, Learning and Development Specialist at GRAHAM said: “We are proud to be a supporter of the 4C UR Future careers and skills event. The innovative format of the two-day programme has all of the ingredients needed to inspire young people from across Northern Ireland as they begin to consider their future careers. At GRAHAM, we have a proven track record in attracting bright, young talent into construction, and an event like 4C UR Future “Live” is the perfect platform for us to demonstrate the exciting, rewarding and challenging careers that exist in our industry.”
Pamela Dennison, National Officer from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport said: “We are delighted to be involved with 4C UR Future. The event gives us the opportunity to engage directly with school kids from throughout the province who could be the next generation of Logisticians – ensuring the wheels of our industries keep turning. This opportunity for schools and pupils is critical for industry, as this grassroots engagement will endeavour to ensure our industry meets its skills demand for years to come.”
Catherine Boyd, HR Advisor from DFDS Logistics said: “This is a fantastic concept that provides Year 9 children with more information about the current career market in a fun and interactive way. They may discover a talent for a role that they were not even aware existed. Working in the Logistics and Transport industry, we are very aware that there are skills shortages in certain positions. This event may provide students with alternative careers choices and could help our industry to develop a skills pipeline for the future.”
Gwyneth Evans, HR Manager at Ryobi (Carrickfergus) said: “Ryobi is excited to be taking part in 4C UR Future “Live”. This is a unique opportunity for 13-year-olds to gain an insight into their natural aptitudes and abilities, which will better equip them to make informed choices on their future career. By supporting this event, we are hoping to inspire a new generation of young people to choose a career in manufacturing and engineering. There has never been a more exciting time to join this fast-moving industry, which is embracing the advanced manufacturing and digital technologies of the fourth industrial revolution.”
Ryan Connor, People Development Manager at Devenish said: “At Devenish, we pride ourselves in developing and inspiring talent of all ages across our group of companies. We understand the importance of developing younger talent early-on who could join our business and go on to become the managers and leaders of tomorrow. We’re therefore delighted to be able to support the 4C UR Future initiative, inspiring talent at an even younger age, and helping young people develop both interpersonal and transferable employability skills, while raising awareness of the vast array careers and opportunities within the agri-food and technology sector, prior to the students selecting their GCSE topics.”
Alan Leacock, Director of Metal Forming Innovation said: “4C UR Future will help to teach our young people the utility of knowledge and point to where this might take them.”
Who are 4C UR Future
4C UR FUTURE is a not-for-profit community interest company, which exists to inspire, inform and enable individuals to optimise their opportunity to contribute to society and the economy.
Our approach is specifically designed to enhance equality of opportunity. We enable each individual to explore their own unique combination of positive attributes, talents and learning styles amongst their peer group and align them with emerging work trends and employability criteria.
We connect individuals with suitable coaching and development activities. Our collaborative approach assists under-represented individuals gain greater access to meaningful work and economic opportunities. Enabling individuals to foresee their own future is the purpose of our business.