Smart Future Student. Review

I was a Smart Futures student. Daily tasks would involve listening to members of staff on how to develop personal skills, such as communication skills and leadership skills while. We would also take part in activities that would help to enhance our skills which was beneficial to us. On some days, we visited another institute and gained experience in their specific field which was insightful. We did many projects such as the Dragon's Den Day which involved coming up with a new mobile device to be used in 2025. Also we researched ways to attract and retain young people into the Home office. Not only this but during the work experience, we were able to gain a CMI qualification in leadership which will really help my future.

I've learned many skills during my time here. One of them is my presenting and communication skills which I feel has become much better. Also, I have developed team-working skills as well as leadership skills. Because of my improved leadership skills, I have been able to gain a CMI qualification in Leadership

I enjoyed my time here to a quite reasonable extent, because much of the activities were very interactive. The amount of activities was more than I expected which was great as it made me more .enthusiastic. Because of this, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time here.

I feel extremely valued by the EY Foundation as many members of staff took their time to teach us about the vital skills needed in the workplace. Many members of staff also helped me to answer any questions or misunderstandings that I had which was very helpful. They ensured that the time spent here was entertaining, by engaging us in activities. So not only was it helpful, it was also fun. I feel that overall I was valued quite a lot, as they showed a lot of consideration.

I feel that it was really organised, especially with the induction day as the transition to the programme was much easier so the organisation of the programme was good. There were times in which members of staff didn't know much about what in particular we were meant to do with our learning logs which were needed to be filled out for our CMI qualification, but nonetheless they did whatever they could to help us.

I received quite a lot of support; the buddies we had made sure that we fully understood tasks given to us and ensured that we had support whenever we needed it. The thing I liked the most is that even when some members of staff were unsure about a question I asked them, they would ask many other colleagues to help me, showing that they would never give up and would always support me.

I received excellent support from my employer - they helped me to make sure that I was never afraid to ask questions often which was good. They also helped to enhance skills I didn't know I had like my confidence and my communication skills

it is overall quite good. I live quite far from here so it costs me £5 for my journey so its a bit of a loss for me but I still gain quite a lot of money. Living costs are alright and they are not a problem

Compared to the amazing support I received, there aren't that many opportunities and if there are opportunities, then you must reach a large mount of requirements which can be hard.

Yes

It contains amazing opportunities to excel in life and give people a second chance. You don't need outstanding qualifications to succeed and I like that the EY Foundation takes that into consideration.

I think one bit of advice is to be open; there are going to be many people that aren't going to confident and may lack communication skills at the beginning but the programme will definitely help to enhance these skills and actually realise that you have quite a lot of potential.