BDO has expanded its partnership with Enactus UK & Ireland to support the delivery of its Next Gen Leaders programme, helping secondary school students in areas of low social mobility build key skills and confidence.
Next Gen Leaders is a project-based learning programme that gives young people the chance to work in teams on real social and environmental challenges affecting their own communities.
Delivered in schools, the programme develops problem solving, teamwork and communication skills, while helping students see how their ideas and actions can create positive change.
Enactus has been delivering the Next Gen Leaders programme in the North of England since 2017. Through this expanded partnership, Enactus and BDO aim to scale the project across all regions in the UK over the next three years, reaching students in areas where access to opportunity is often limited.
BDO has been working with Enactus across UK universities for four years, supporting over 1,800 students throughout their degrees through mentoring, skills workshops and employability programmes. The accountancy and business advisory firm offers employees up to ten paid days per year to take part in citizenship and community projects.
Louise Sayers, Head of People, Culture and Purpose at BDO, says: “Social mobility is about more than careers - it’s about confidence, aspiration and helping young people see what’s possible for them. At the heart of Next Gen Leaders is a belief that every young person has the potential to lead. It gives students the space and confidence to explore issues that matter to them, develop their ideas and realise the value of their own voice.
“We’re proud to support the roll out of such an important initiative to target the UK’s social mobility ‘cold spots’ and help deliver a programme that puts young people at the centre and helps them build skills and self-belief that will stay with them, whatever path they choose.”
In an event last month, 110 students and ten BDO volunteers came together in Pudsey, Leeds, as part of the Enactus Next Gen Leaders programme. The event saw almost three-quarters of students engage with a BDO employee, with 92% reporting an increase in confidence on completion.
Andrew Bezzina, an audit trainee at BDO in Leeds, volunteered at the Pudsey event. He added: “I wanted to give something back to young people in my area and help them believe they can achieve things they might not have thought possible. I wasn’t sure what I could offer at first, but being there, listening and encouraging them made a real difference. Sometimes your time is the most valuable thing you can give.”
Alongside its work with Enactus, BDO is also a founding member of Access Accountancy and offers a dedicated work experience programme, Explore BDO, aimed at students from a lower socio-economic background. For the first time this year, Explore BDO will run across three locations – Leeds, Birmingham and London – and applications are now open for students in years 12 and 13 to apply. BDO Work Experience: Early Career insights
