The SKILL! Programme launched in Bristol on Friday, 18th November 2011.  Having successfully established the programme in London, reaching over 850 young people in three years, we felt it was time to offer SKILL! to young people in other parts of the country.  First stop:  Bristol.

Working with two leading professional services firms – internation law firm Osborne Clarke and global advisory firm PwC – we created a workshop that saw 40 students from a local academy spending a day inside Osborne Clarke’s Bristol offices, learning more about the world of work and taking part in a range of enterprise-themed activities designed to engage them in skills that employers are demanding.

Students received training in fundamental employability skills - including communication, presentation and interpersonal skills – from our regular facilitators, Matt Kepple and Katie Ledger.  Students worked in teams, creating ideas and presenting them to a panel of senior professionals from the local area.  The panel included:

• Tracey Bentham – Partner, PwC
• Paul Oldham – Regional Director, Business Growth Fund
• Ian Podmore – Investment Director, Lloyds Development Capital
• David Powell – Partner, Osborne Clarke

Students also heard from successful local entrepreneur Ben Heald, the founder and CEO of Sift Media, one of the UK’s leading digital media businesses.  Ben shared the story of how he started Sift and how he has grown the business to the market-leading position it enjoys today.

Click here to read a case study produced by Visionpath Education with Osborne Clarke, looking at the outcomes of their collaboration on the launch of SKILL! Bristol.

We are looking forward to establishing a regular programme of SKILL! Workshops in Bristol in 2012.  For more information on how your company or school can be involved, please contact us on info@skill-london.com.