Case studies

Employees from 02 and RBS were given some background information ahead of the day. On their arrival at the school in the morning the volunteers attended a briefing given by the Head Teacher and then paired off to attend classes. Facilitated by the class teacher, volunteers interacted with each class, encouraging pupils to discuss the advantages of working; from learning new things and being able to support yourself and family, to buying a home, meeting people and perhaps travelling the world. Children from each of the nine classes, ranging in age from four to 11, were then invited to write down their ‘dream job' on a piece of paper. These were collected in individual boxes for each class and the boxes buried beneath a corkscrew hazel tree in the school grounds, provided by 02. The children have named this their ‘Dream Tree'. At the end of the school day parents were invited into the school and to Space@ to hear about what the children had done that day.

Programme Manager Liz Casey from 02's Customer Service Centre in Leeds said: "We wanted to widen the children's horizons and raise their aspirations. They were very excited, interested and eager to put forward their own thoughts and opinions about the world of work. The jobs they dreamed of doing ranged from working in the ambulance service to becoming a doctor or a footballer. One little boy wanted to be a Power Ranger!"

Warren Parratt from RBS said "We ourselves found the experience so rewarding and the feedback from school staff was very positive. The children were so enthusiastic and a credit the school. It was so nice to be involved on such a project where we could make a difference in the community." The day-long event also aimed at making parents aware of potential employment opportunities. As a result of the day, 45 people from the community signed up for courses at Space@ that could lead to a qualification or a job.

This is a project where businesses can make a real contribution to raising the aspirations of young children, helping them to link their learning now, to their futures and the world of work. Only by raising the aspirations of our young people will we begin to have a real impact on creating economic and vibrant communities within our inner cities. Investment into the city of Leeds is set to continue and the job opportunities created by this investment cannot be met by the current workforce, this and projects like it are part of a wider programme to invest in the city's future workforce.

Leeds Ahead offers businesses the opportunity to participate in a range of projects like the World of Work day in a number of inner city schools. The day is particularly successful when there is also an opportunity for parents and carers to be involved too.