upReach Annual Report 2023-24 - Report - Page 36
Trustees’ Annual Report (Continued)
For The Year To 31 July 2024
We help students to develop the skills and networks needed to succeed in the graduate jobs
market. Our partnerships with top employers help to broaden career horizons, raise aspirations
and provide work experience opportunities for students. Through these partnerships we also
aim to in昀氀uence the hiring practices of top organisations, encouraging them to recognise the
importance and value of diversity in the workplace. This ‘double bene昀椀t’ approach helps us
to tackle the social mobility challenge from both sides, working towards eradicating social
inequality in graduate recruitment.
The upReach programme is designed to support Associates in a way that best re昀氀ects their
needs and preferences. Associates are individually assigned a Programme Coordinator, who
works with them throughout their engagement in the programme.
Practice Online Tests, mock assessments and application and CV reviews help to prepare
Associates for job applications; video forums and skills workshops help Associates to develop
essential soft skills; and professional mentoring and exclusive Insight Days give Associates a
taste of the professional world.
Achievements and Performance
In the 2023/24 昀椀nancial year, upReach supported 3,034 Associates (the like-for-like number
in 2022/23 would be 3,052, based on a minor variation in the de昀椀nition of “active Associates”
introduced this year). Our Programmes team conducted 4,708 1-to-1 coaching calls, delivered
294 online Video Forums, and collaborated with partners to run 78 Insight Days attended by
2,531 Associates.
We continued our Xperience work experience programme, which grew by almost 50%
compared to the previous year. 126 students completed placements across 23 different
employers, with 94% of participants rating their placement as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.
This 2023/24 programme year, we have helped our Associates to secure 1,852 interim
(internships and work experience) and 650 graduate role offers. In line with external best practice
of assessing outcomes 15 months after graduation, we conducted follow-up calls with our 2023
graduating cohort, and were pleased to con昀椀rm that 70% are now in graduate-level employment.
Increasing our pro昀椀le and raising awareness of our work continues to be a key part of our
strategy; it helps attract new students to our programmes and brings additional funders.
This year we featured twice in the Financial Times, including an article discussing the Financial
Conduct Authority’s (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority’s (PRA) consultation on equality,
diversity and inclusion entitled; ‘Class and the City’.We were also delighted to work with the
BBC’s “The Apprentice” star, Tim Campbell MBE. Tim hosted a thought-provoking interview
with upReach Alumna; Batul Chehab and Masharah Powell, who shared inspiring stories of their
personal journeys.
In November, we welcomed over 100 guests to Slaughter and May for ‘upReach Insights: An
Evening With Our Alumni’. It was an evening of celebration and guests heard about upReach’s
work from those who have felt its impact the most; 10 of our extraordinary Alumni. During the
evening we launched The 70 Futures Appeal, this was a great success, with over £40,000 being
raised to support an additional 70 young people on upReach’s programmes for an entire year.
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