Case Studies

In 2008 Ernst & Young made a commitment at a global level to broaden access to education to ensure the next generation has the skills it needs to make a positive contribution to society. Striving to up-skill the next generation is both the key business objective and educational benefit to Ernst & Young’s UK Education Partnership Programme.

Launched four years ago, ‘Grow with Esh’ is a scheme aimed at helping young people to develop gardening and horticultural project in or near their school grounds. Working as a competition the programme not only enhances learning opportunities within the school grounds but provides pupils with hands-on experiences.

As a people and property business Gentoo aims to inspire and empower enriched ways of living to enable successful communities. The Young Apprentice programme sits within this core objective of raising the aspirations and attainment of young people in areas of greatest need.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Lend Lease is helping to improve the skills of young people by positively influencing educational outcomes that contribute toward creating the workforce and business leaders of the future. This also provides development opportunities for its employees to give back to their local communities by sharing their knowledge and experience as mentors and role models

Lincolnshire Co-operative’s partnership with Branston Community College, a specialist Business and Enterprise School, has sustained a programme of education projects over the past 4 years. Using the Co-operative model and applying its benefits to the community, Lincolnshire Co-operative is enabling its employees to build their confidence and engage young people in learning.

As an employer wanting to reflect and support its local community, Linklaters recognised an opportunity to raise social mobility by engaging young people from Hackney in working life and working skills. Linking Work With Learning (LWWL), a three year programme, was developed as a strategic response to a borough-wide need for raising aspirations

Midcounties Co-operative’s mission statement is to be a successful consumer co-operative working towards creating a better, fairer world and enhancing the lives of their colleagues, members, customers and the communities that they serve. In partnership with Sutherland School, Midcounties deliver on this mission by supporting young people to raise their attainment, aspirations and social skills

After Nomura’s acquisition of Lehman Brothers’ Europe and Asia businesses, it was quickly recognised that to re-establish employee morale and maintain community support, a commitment to a long-term investment in local community education programmes was imperative.

Support for schools forms the backbone of Rothchild’s overall community programme, Rothschild in the Community (RiC). Rothchild has relationships with five schools in London and Manchester, aiming to create effective partnerships that provide young people with the inspiration, motivation, knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to help them achieve their potential.

RWE npower, as a major UK energy company, believes that it has a responsibility to be at the forefront of debate and lead on green issues. The Climate Cops programme enables npower to give young people the power to make a real difference, by educating, empowering and encouraging them to become agents of change in the green agenda

As a company RWE npower needs to deliver cleaner, affordable, secure energy supplies and is facing a recruitment challenge in order to meet these objectives. The pool from which npower draws Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) talent is decreasing and the supply of students (especially girls) interested in following STEM careers has decreased. Through the STEM engagement programme, npower is inspiring students to consider continuing their STEM studies and following a related career while developing the skills of their current employees.

ScottishPower prides itself on placing health and safety as a core value in its business operations and recognises that their standards encapsulate all areas where their operations interface with wider society. Through a range of safety education initiatives, ScottishPower has delivered vital electricity safety lessons to over 100,000 young people in its operating area in 2009 alone.