ethnic minority backgrounds, almost half have received free school meals – which is nearly twice the national average – and two-thirds are female. They are bright, capable, and ambitious. Our role is to give them the guidance to navigate competitive applications and the belief that they belong in the careers, professions and occupations they are entering. Ananna Islam completed the Future Leaders UK programme in 2024 and is now in her second year of an engineering degree apprenticeship at WSP. “Taking part in Future Leaders played a huge role
giving young people the chance to secure a degree, build a career, and earn a salary from day one. Our programme has grown from just fifty students in East London in 2019 to more than 15,000 young people supported each year nationwide. We prepare them for the world of work through personal development, employability training, and direct employer exposure. A year-long programme of workshops, mentoring, and insight days help students develop professional skills, understand different roles, and build the confidence to step into professional environments with pride.
in helping me secure my degree apprenticeship,” she explains. “The confidence‑building workshops taught me how to present myself professionally and communicate my strengths effectively. The apprentice panel and interview preparation sessions gave me a clear
Future Leaders UK has grown into a national movement with physical hubs in London, the West Midlands, Bristol, Sheffield, and Manchester, and we support young people across the UK through our online programme. We are proud to collaborate with employers across a range
I’m doing real work, applying my new skills and I’m thriving both professionally and socially.
understanding of what employers look for and helped me feel fully prepared for my assessment day.” Islam chose the degree apprenticeship at WSP because it offered a good balance between studying and gaining hands-on engineering experience in industry. “Being able to apply what I learn at university directly to real projects has accelerated my development,” she says. “And networking with other professionals and earning a salary while working toward my degree has made it even more rewarding.”
of industries, including Amazon, HSBC, KPMG, BT Group, Leonardo, CBRE, Bechtel and the Civil Service – and our impact has been recognised nationally with the British Diversity Award, the UK Parliament Award, and by the Department for Education. For the young people we support, degree apprenticeships do more than open doors to careers. They change how a young person sees themselves. Many come from communities where professional environments feel unfamiliar. Four-fifths of the young people we support identify as being from
Degree Apprenticeships 21
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