Education round-up: new mentoring partnerships and immersive work opportunities

As the academic year concludes, ELBA likes to take a moment to reflect on the amazing work we have achieved together. And, what a year it has been:

London Metropolitan University and MUFG University Mentoring Programme 2025-26

In its first year of partnership, MUFG hosted a six-month mentoring scheme for London Metropolitan University students. From job application support to work shadowing, 31 students received 1:1 support from a dedicated mentor who provided their skills, expertise and experience to enhance their mentee’s personal development and expand their professional horizons. 

— London Metropolitan University mentee

— London Metropolitan University mentee

We would like to thank the mentors at MUFG who dedicated their time to support students. Your commitment is helping east London’s rising talent navigate a challenging job market with newfound confidence and ambition.

Lister World of Work Week

Lister School, in collaboration with ELBA, provided over 300 year 10 students with an immersive, eye-opening week of exploring the world of work in modern industries. 

The week started with an insightful Career Carousel, where students heard from professionals across a diverse range of sectors, including project management, cyber security, IT development, sales and events management. Students expressed how useful it was to hear from professionals who had taken varied routes into their current roles, helping them better understand how to plan and navigate their own career pathways.

Learning continued throughout the week through a series of interactive workshops and speed networking sessions. Students explored corporate offices, toured an urban construction site, participated in workshops dedicated to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and used AI Design tools to build widgets. One student shared the following feedback from their site visit:

From developing their AI skills to fast-paced speed networking, students ended the week with wider horizons and newfound confidence to map out their own career journeys!

Samuel Rhodes work experience celebration

This year, we are incredibly proud to celebrate a major work experience milestone. For nearly a decade, ELBA’s partnership with Euromonitor and Samuel Rhodes School has created a vital collaboration that has empowered young people with additional needs with work confidence.

Together we provide young people the tools, confidence and real-world experience needed to navigate the modern workplace. It is a project that goes far beyond the classroom, leaving an enormous, lasting footprint on our students’ lives and opening doors to bright, independent futures.

Rather than just learning about work in theory, the students dive headfirst into the day-to-day operations at the Euromonitor offices. This year, the hands-on sessions focused on developing highly transferable, practical skills, including:

• Front of house: Reception duties, greeting visitors and managing professional communications.
• The art of the barista: Learning the fast-paced, customer-facing skills of barista work a fantastic boost for confidence and social interaction.
• Office operations: Handling general administration tasks in a professional environment.

— Samuel Rhodes School

Thank you to all the students, staff, volunteers and companies for making this possible. To get involved in our Education work, please contact [email protected].

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