Sixth form pupils from Ashfield Girls’ School, Belfast and St Catherine’s College, Armagh took part in the intensive one-day competition which is designed to improve young people’s confidence, entrepreneurial ambition and business skills.
Ciaran McCallion, head of human resources at Allen & Overy said:
“The upSKILL programme is about giving young people a chance to benefit from a real world scenario and the experience of business professionals. The entrepreneurs from both schools deserve a lot of credit for the way they approached the challenge and the creative commercial ideas they developed. We are pleased to be equipping young people with practical knowhow and developing skills for future success.”
Benny Miskelly, PwC’s Purpose Officer said:
“PwC are very proud to be associated with Visionpath’s upSkill Programme. It is brilliant to give school kids the necessary skills to solve real world problems. What I like most about the day is the impact it has on the staff who act as student mentors. They really benefit from the experience and can apply what they learn to the work they do when they return to the office, ultimately benefiting the clients they serve.”
Commenting on the benefits of the upSKILL initiative Patrick Philpott, founder of Visionpath said:
“At Visionpath we’re on a mission to get young people future-ready. Developing the skills for a changing world of work is an essential part of this and we upSKILL helps young people across the UK do exactly that. In one-day workshops, students join forces with professionals from top employers, together devising ideas to change the world. The result for young people is more confidence and a set of skills that businesses find attractive in their future talent – like communication, critical thinking and teamwork.”
Nadia Skates (front right) from Ashfield Girls’ School Belfast and Kerry Brown (front left) from Catherine’s College, Armagh are pictured with: Patrick Philpott, Visionpath; Greg McCloskey, Allen & Overy; and Hannah Webb, PwC.
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