See it Be it (SIBI) educational outreach programme

Business in the Community’s partnership with Sheffield City Council’s See It Be It programme has transformed how young people in disadvantaged communities connect with employers, raising aspirations and life chances through a simple, scalable model that is now being expanded nationally with the support of Aviva.

Business in the Community (BITC) is proud to partner with Sheffield City Council’s See It Be It in Sheffield programme, an innovative and inclusive initiative designed to bring the world of work to life for young people. The programme connects employers with schools to deliver meaningful, real-world encounters that raise career aspirations and improve life chances—particularly for those in areas of disadvantage and low social mobility.

A Cross-Sector Movement for Change

See It Be It is a unique cross-sector partnership, designed to address the opportunity gap many young people face by creating sustained employer engagement in schools. Since its inception, employer volunteers have delivered thousands of encounters to young people, sparking ambition and offering insights into the many routes into employment.

Sheffield Business Together (SBT) initiative supported the programme’s early pilots. In 2024, the Sheffield Pride of Place (PoP) Board launched a campaign to significantly scale the programme. The campaign sought to create an enterprise pathway that spans from primary school to post-16 education, while enhancing the careers offer in 25 secondary schools located in Sheffield’s most underserved communities.

To date, an impressive 160 additional employers have pledged their support to this city-wide movement.

Cheryl Plant of Sheffield City Council commented:

Working with SBT and the Pride of Place board has been a tremendous support to our See It Be It campaign, helping us to reach significantly more employers and support more young people than we would have been able to without this partnership.”

Driving Social Mobility Through Employer Encounters

Social mobility and equity of opportunity are central to the goals of the Pride of Place Board. Research shows that four or more employer encounters can significantly boost young people’s life outcomes, academic attainment, and work readiness. This, in turn, strengthens the link between education and employment—creating a more inclusive and productive local economy.

Tim Roberts, CEO of Henry Boot PLC and Chair of the Sheffield Pride of Place Board explained:

Henry Boot is proud to be part of this initiative. See It Be It will inspire a generation of learners across Sheffield and provide them with real aspirations for the future.”

A Simple and Scalable Model

One of the reasons for See It Be It’s success is its accessible and flexible delivery model. Schools have a single point of contact to identify their needs, while employers choose from a menu of activities including mock interviews, CV writing workshops, world of work visits, and careers fairs. Time commitments range from 30 minutes to full-day engagements, allowing businesses of all sizes and sectors to get involved.

Employers can also tailor activities to their specific sector or address skills gaps in schools near their locations, making the impact even more targeted.

Scaling Nationally with Aviva’s Support

The programme’s effectiveness has inspired national interest. Aviva, one of the UK’s leading employers, has partnered with BITC to fund the rollout of See It Be It to other BITC places across the country.

David Schofield, Sustainability Director at Aviva, said:

Aviva is delighted to partner with BITC to expand See It Be It. It is probably one of the most successful educational outreach programmes of its kind in the UK. Generations of families often miss out on meaningful experiences of the world of work. By providing those encounters, we can break that cycle and help young people build better futures.”