Members of the Career Academy get to work with international businesses, such as The Bank of New York Mellon  

Young people from The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London will take their first steps onto the career ladder this summer as they don business suits and forgo their holidays to undertake a six week internship as part of the Career Academy.

The College is in its first year as a Career Academy provider with membership open to students who are studying a Level 3 Business Diploma.

The programme includes one-to-one mentoring with employers, regular workshops hosted by business partners and valuable work experience with global and regional businesses.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, one of the largest law firms in the world, is amongst the private, public and voluntary sector organisations giving the ‘academy’ students the opportunity to experience the world of work - as well as the Bank of New York Mellon, Lloyds Banking Group, The Citizenship Foundation and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Enfield student, Steven Mafolabomi (19), is studying for his Level 3 OCR National Diploma in Business and is spending his internship with the Bank of New York Mellon. He says: “I’m really looking forward to my internship.  It’s a great opportunity to see what working life is really like and I hope the placement will help me get ahead in my future career.”

Steven’s first tasks are to gain an overview of the organisation’s human resources function before he moves on to work in asset management and pension funds.

College Principal and Chief Executive, Paul Head, said: “We want to thank our business partners for their generous cooperation, particularly in such a tough economic climate. It is through their support that our students have the opportunity to get a real and meaningful experience of a professional work environment. We hope that the internships will have an aspirational effect on our students, giving them a sense of the range of careers out there and the confidence to pursue their interests and passions.”

Career Academies demonstrably improve students’ achievement and attainment.  Almost 90% of graduates progress on to higher education or into a job with an equivalent level of training. The students get to develop a range of other skills and attributes including communication and confidence.  They learn how to spot opportunities, overcome challenges and implement ideas.

However the programme does not just benefit the students.  James McCreary, Chief Executive of Career Academies UK, explains:  “Engaging with young people through the Career Academy programme brings many benefits to the businesses and employee volunteers involved. Often employers are pleasantly surprised by the quality of what the interns have to offer, including a fresh approach and creative ideas.

“At the same time, supervising interns presents a great opportunity to develop the leadership and management skills of young staff. Just ask companies like BP, Lloyds Banking Group or Yorkshire Bank and they will be glad to tell you the value that these young people can add to a business."