Nottingham Building Society builds on ongoing community commitment

Nottingham Building Society has joined forces with community engagement specialists EVERFI to create a flagship employability programme, which further develops the building society’s existing careers support work and aims to help young people achieve their ambitions. EVERFI is an international technology company driving social impact through education.

Amongst those most affected by the Covid pandemic are 16 to 24-year-olds looking to translate education into employment. Just under 20% of all people claiming Jobseekers Allowance in the UK in 2020 were in that age group, with claimants aged 18-24 making up a significant 18.4% of the national total* – more than any other age group.

Lockdown brought school closures and exam cancellations, as well as forcing many employers to operate very differently. Almost overnight teachers and other educators had to adapt and incorporate new and flexible styles of careers learning and delivery.

And that’s where Nottingham Building Society, who last year celebrated a decade of focused community work, decided they are well placed to help put a focus on providing young people with meaningful educational interventions to enhance their knowledge of the world of work.

Utilising EVERFI’s expertise they have developed a catalogue of online, downloadable, resources for educators. It includes a video shot entirely on location in Nottingham and charting the journey from education to employment of Sabina, who wants to work in IT.


Photo caption: The new careers resources include a film about Sabina, who dreams of a career in IT.

The project pilots in mid-September with all resources available to 300 young people in 12 schools and Higher Education settings across the country, including the East Midlands. The materials, which contain both core and deep-dive sessions that educators can choose from to suit student needs, are based on the following five areas:

• Navigation: “I know how to find out about work” 
• Practice: “I can experience what being at work is like” 
• Skills: “I have the skills employers want” 
• Networking: “I can get ideas from different people”
• Reflecting: “I understand why an employer might value me” 

From January 2022 the suite of resources will be rolled out in many more schools and higher education establishments across England.

Nottingham Building Society's Head of People and Development Anne Leivers says: “We are proud of what we’ve achieved over the last decade via our dedicated community programme, which has consistently included a focus on supporting employability as well as financial capability.

"As part of that we set up our Career Academy in early 2020. There have been over 5,000 visits to the online portal, with more than 500 young people receiving direct interventions such as career chats and virtual mentoring.

“Our ethos of supporting young people with their career dreams and aspirations remains as strong as ever and the link-up with EVERFI reinforces that.

“The forthcoming pilot, followed by the further roll-out in January, is the latest stage of Nottingham Building Society's long-term commitment to a modern, focused and practical employability programme which supports young people to achieve their career ambitions in a challenging world of work.”

Nick Fuller, President of EVERFI (International), adds: “EVERFI is excited to join forces with Nottingham Building Society, as a trusted voice within the financial industry. We look forward to working together and bringing our expertise to the programme to help design this exciting new programme. It will empower young people with the skills to successfully navigate the world of work.

“Feedback that we have already had from teachers is that the sessions are genuinely interactive, that they are well thought out and are tailored to the age group.

“We believe the resources have the right detail to give the students the guidance they need to help them to think critically and constructively about their career paths.”

*2020 stats from D2N2 - one of the largest Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in England, with a purpose to lead and support economic growth across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.  

About EVERFI

EVERFI is an international technology company driving social impact through education to address the most challenging issues affecting society ranging from financial wellness to mental health to workplace conduct and other critical topics. Founded in 2008, EVERFI's Impact-as-a-Service solution and digital educational content have reached more than 41 million learners globally. In 2020, the company was recognized as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company and was featured on Fortune Magazine's Impact 20 List. In 2019, EVERFI acquired EdComs, the UK’s leading agency specialising in education and communications. This brought together over 35 years of combined experience of what works in the classroom and in the community, and a united passion to make change happen. To learn more about EVERFI and how you can #answerthecall within the UK, please visit uk.everfi.com or follow them on LinkedIn or Twitter @EVERFI_UK