Leeds Rugby Foundation and Irwin Mitchell Solicitors worked in partnership as 22 young people aged 14-16 years chose to spend a day of their half term to attend the third ‘industry day’ run by the Leeds based solicitors.
The day in the Leeds office, introduced them to a work environment and included a series of workshops on drafting a CV, interview skills and concluding with a tour of the offices. This year the day was also partnered by Yorkshire Bank who gave a talk on managing personal finances.
The students had all been on an Outward Bound week in Wales during the summer holidays, an initiative run by the Leeds Rugby Foundation and sponsored by Irwin Mitchell. The scheme offers experiences to young people who may not have been offered these opportunities otherwise, in a bid to raise confidence, self-esteem and give them the chance to try something new. The hope is they will be proud of their achievements and will go on to see clearly what they might truly be capable of achieving in life.
Irwin Mitchell has extended the value of the Outward Bound experience for the young people by adding the option of attending an ‘industry day’ to provide advice on practical life skills. The sessions are delivered by the company’s own personnel – this year it was headed up by Trainee Mark Heppinstall and Solicitor Deborah Laidlaw.
Partner at Irwin Mitchell, Glenn Hayes said: “It was a really inspiring day for me. The young people who attended said that the day was entertaining and relevant and that they appreciated seeing the way in which large companies operated and how they might fit in to such an organisation. Our ‘industry day’ is about making that connection with the real working world and developing an understanding of what lies ahead post 16 when young people are required to make life choices.”
Sam Horner, Leeds Rugby Foundation Community Development Officer said:” We can see the lads are more confident and we didn’t have that before. The Outward Bound trip was not just about Rugby League it was about their personal development and Irwin Mitchell have helped to develop the kids with this ‘industry day’.”
One of the attendees, Jack Tate thought the day was hugely beneficial, he commented: “We have learnt about how to balance our money and learnt about interest rates so we now know that when we spend money we need to think about the important things we should save up for.”
This has been so well received by the students over the last three years that Irwin Mitchell is considering extending this to other young people.