inspiring women: the story so · pdf filethe future campaign. education and employers charity...

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Inspiring Women: the story so far

2013 - 2015

Foreword

Throughout these months, we have beenoverwhelmed by the response from girls,women and teachers to the campaign. Thesimplicity of the campaign (just one hour peryear to go back to school to talk to the girls)is what explains its success. But its successis also due to the fact there is a clear need

to fill the gap between whatyoung girls ‘think’ they canaspire to and what they‘could actually’ aspire to.

Our aim is to expose younggirls to all the different rolesthat women have -because it is easier todream of becomingsomething when you haveactually seen it.

It is not for us to makejudgements on the girls’choices, or to try to guidethem in any particulardirection. We just want toshow them the amazingrange of possibilities theyhave within their reach, andwe are doing it by giving tothe girls thousands ofwomen from differentbackgrounds who – not solong ago – were girls

themselves. And we also want to inspire thegirls to aim high, to work hard and make aneffort, no matter what they choose to do intheir lives.

Since October 2013, we have crossed thecountry, from Glasgow to Brighton, fromManchester to Essex... we have organisedevents including Women in Finance, inFashion, in the RAF, in Medicine, in the

Royal Navy, in Manufacturing, Technology,Sport and in the Arts. It has been hardwork, but it has also been tremendous fun!

We are now proud to have over 15,000women volunteers, from apprentices toCEOs, women from all walks of life, and tohave reached more than a quarter of amillion girls from state schools and collegesacross the UK.

Official bodies, public institutions and themain companies in the country have backedthe Inspiring Women Campaign. And wealso have ten countries interested inmirroring us to take the campaign abroad.

Our aim, however, is to make sure first andforemost that every single girl in a stateschool in the UK has access to all theamazing volunteers who have signed up tothe campaign and are willing to talk to them.

To all of them, to all of you, thank you.Thank you for giving one hour of your timeto inspire young girls to aim high, forshowing the girls that with hard work andpersistence they can be like you.

Thank you also to the teachers, forsupporting us and finding time in theirchallenging schedules to allow the girls toparticipate. And a special thanks to Bank ofAmerica Merrill Lynch, the lead corporatesupporter of the Inspiring Women campaign.

And thank you in particular to all at theEducation and Employers charity which runsInspiring the Future, for allowing me to makethis personal dream a reality.

Miriam González DurántezInspiring Women campaign ChampionApril 22 2015

I am thrilled that the Inspiring Women Campaign,that I launched only eighteen months ago, hasnot only reached its targets but actually gonebeyond them.

InspiringWomen: What wehaveachievedso far

Inspiring Women | Campaign Summary 2013 - 20152 Campaign Summary 2013 - 2015 | Inspiring Women 3


Despite the fact that women today are employed ingreater numbers and in a wider range of roles andoccupations than ever before, young people still tend tothink of particular careers as ‘male’ or ‘female’.1 Thisconscious and unconscious classification system startsat an early age2 and means young men and youngwomen often rule themselves out of careers that theymight otherwise successfully pursue. It also means thatindustries and employers do not benefit from all thetalent that is potentially available to them.

Helping young people understand the breadth of careersand opportunities that are open to them, and what they are actually like, is key to tackling stereotypes,suspicions and misperceptions. One of the best waysof doing this is to ensure that young people are able tomeet successful professionals who do a broad range of jobs, and who work for a variety of employers acrossan array of different sectors, whilst they are still at schoolor college.

‘We think it’s important to help girls at ourschool meet successful women because

we’re a small rural school and many of ourpupils don’t really understand life outsidethe local area. Many girls here lackconfidence and self-belief and have lowaspirations so they need all the help theycan get to realise their potential.’

Andy David, PE Teacher at Sir John ColfoxSchool, Bridport, Dorset which staged anInspiring Women event in September 2014

Research by the OECD suggests there is a particularneed to increase the number of interactions betweenyoung women and successful female professionalsworking in a wide variety of jobs. Overall, girls performless well in PISA mathematics tests than boys and tendto report lower levels of self-confidence in theirmathematical ability and higher levels of anxiety towardsmathematics. However this gender gap in performancedisappears when girls have similar levels of self-confidence in, and anxiety towards, mathematics asboys, which suggests a clear need to build girls’ self-confidence in mathematics and more generally.3

The Inspiring Women campaign, which is part of thefree, national Inspiring the Future scheme run by theEducation and Employers charity, aims to increase thenumber of interactions between girls and women fromall walks of life. Such interactions, for example throughcareers talks, CV workshops, mock interviews andworkplace visits, can help tackle gendered perceptionsof careers and help young people develop self-confidence as well as useful contacts and networks.

‘For us it’s important to help our girls meetsuccessful women through events likeInspiring Women in Finance because whilethere’s no shortage of role models for girls, there is a real lack of access to theserole models.’

Rebecca Cramer, Head Teacher at ReachAcademy where some pupils participated in theInspiring Women in Finance event at the Bankof England, December 2014

Young people value the opportunity to learn aboutparticular jobs and careers very highly. A 2015 survey bythe Education and Employers charity questioned 363pupils aged 11-19. The poll found that three-quarters ofrespondents who had engaged with volunteers workingin different jobs through their state school felt that theyhad learnt something new and useful about jobs andcareers from the experience. The three things theseyoung people most commonly said they had gainedfrom such interactions were a better understanding of:what they would need to do to get the sorts of jobs they were interested in (55%), jobs and careers theywere already interested in (46%), and different ways into jobs like apprenticeships or going to college oruniversity (46%).

1 McQuaid, R. W. and Bond, S. (2007) Gender stereotyping in schools - young people and career choices. In: WES Conference, September2007, Aberdeen.

2 Flouri, E. & Panourgia C. (2012). Do primary school children's career aspirations matter? The relationship between family poverty, careeraspirations and emotional and behavioural problems. Centre for Longitudinal Studies Working Paper 2012/5. IOE, London

3 OECD. 2015. The ABC of Gender Equality in Education: Aptitude, Behaviour, Confidence. OECD: Paris.

Despite the fact that womentoday are employed in greater

numbers and in a wider range ofroles and occupations than ever

before, young people still tend tothink of particular careers as

‘male’ or ‘female’.

The Inspiring Women campaign does an important job.By making it easy for women from a wide range ofoccupations to go into schools, the campaign helps broadenthe career aspirations, and build the ambition, of girls andyoung women.

Gender inequality exists in the modern labour market.Women are predominantly employed in fields where theyhave fewer opportunities to express their potential anddevelop and maintain their skills than men. To challenge thisinequality, one thing we can do is intervene to ensure thatgirls and young women are given proper opportunity toconsider the widest range of occupational areas, exploringthe links between skills and remuneration in situations whichthey find relevant and meaningful.

Inspiring Women: The Case for Action

Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skillsat the Organisation for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment (OECD)

“

”

By the end of March 2015:

15,009 Inspiring Womenvolunteering through Inspiringthe Future

More than 45,000approaches to InspiringWomen volunteers from UKstate schools and colleges

289,974 girls and young

women engaging withInspiring the Future volunteerssince the campaign launchedin October 2013

Half of girls aged 11 to 13would prefer to speak tofemale professionals aboutjobs and careers as wouldone in six young women aged14 to 19.

Inspiring Women in Numbers

Did the new and useful thing you learnt relate to any of the following? (N=162)

I got a better understanding ofwhat I would need to do to get

the sorts of jobs I’m interested in

I learnt about different ways intojobs like apprenticeships or

going to college or university

I learnt more about jobs andcareers I’m already interested in

I learnt more about howimportant grades and exams are

to getting on in the workingworld

I learnt about jobs and careers Inever new existed

I learnt about whether a jobmight be right for someone with

skills and interests like me

I learnt about how difficult it is toget into the jobs I’m interested in

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0%

25.9%

34.6%

43.2%

45.7%

46.3%

46.3%

54.9%


Why do gendered career stereotypes persist? Research has shown young people still have fixed andnarrow ideas about careers: children start to rule careeroptions ‘in’ and ‘out’ at an early age and girls and boyshold stereotypical views about ‘male’ and ‘female’careers by age 7.5 For example, girls are less likely to aspire to careers in science than boys, even thoughmore girls rate science as their favourite subject than boys.6

Such perceptions among young people reflect widersocietal perceptions. In polling cited in Professor JohnPerkins’ Review of Engineering Skills, a much higherproportion of boys reported being encouraged to thinkabout engineering as a career than girls, particularly bytheir parents.7 Furthermore recent research by theNational Bureau of Economic Research in the UnitedStates found that girls outperformed boys in a mathstest when marked anonymously by external examiner,but that boys outperformed girls in the same test whenmarked by teachers who knew their names, aphenomenon the authors attribute to unconscious biasamongst teachers.8

How can these be tackled? One way of tackling such gendered career perceptionsand aspirations among young people is to make

sure they meet, when still at school, successfulprofessionals of both genders who work in a variety ofroles and sectors. This might be at a careers fair, througha work experience placement or at a career speed-networking event.

‘If I was asked for advice by a teacherthinking about participating in a similarevent I’d say go for it! Learning is notlimited to the classroom – opportunitieslike this one are once in a lifetime and really encourage students to make theirvoices heard.’

Shanaz Begum, teacher at Mulberry School forGirls, reflecting on the Inspiring Women launchevent at Lancaster House

Such interactions can challenge gendered stereotypesabout careers and help build the confidence, aspirationsand networks of young people. A young woman whoattended and met women who work in a very widevariety of roles at the Inspiring Women in the RAF eventat Manchester Academy said, after the event:

‘I now definitely feel much more thanmerely motivated to achieve what it wasthat I sought to become. I had hopes ofbecoming an engineer and not followingthe traditional career pathways, but mypeers had expressed that I’d be better offdoing the typical career paths for women,

such as teaching, hair styling, fashionetc. I was swayed after what they hadproposed, but, after the event, I remainfirm in my aspirations – I will not bediscouraged in attaining a career that ismostly dominated by men.’

Fatma Omar, pupil at Manchester Academy,reflecting on the Inspiring Women in the RAF event

What do young people say about who theywant to hear from? In a 2015 survey of just under 400 11-19 year olds bythe Education and Employers charity, young peoplewere asked whether they would prefer to hear from aman or a woman about career options, if they had the choice. Just over a quarter (28%) of young people surveyed expressed a preference; perhapsunsurprisingly, among young people expressing apreference girls tended to say they preferred to hearfrom women and boys from men.

The young women surveyed were more likely toexpress a preference for meeting female role modelsthan their male counterparts for meeting male rolemodels so there is a clear rationale for increasinginteractions between young women and femaleprofessionals. Girls in Years 7 to 9 were particularlykeen to hear from women: 51% of 11-13 year old girlssurveyed said they’d rather hear from a woman,compared to 17% of 14-15 year old and 15.9% of 16-19 year olds girls.

About the InspiringWomen CampaignThe origins of the campaignThe Inspiring Women campaign is designed to helpyoung people from all backgrounds, at state schoolsand colleges across the United Kingdom, meet andmake connections with female role models from arange of sectors. By introducing young people tosuccessful women working in different roles and

industries, the aim is to enhance understanding of thebreadth of career opportunities available, challengegendered stereotypes about occupations and giveyoung people the chance to ask questions and makeconnections with female role models.

‘The event was much different to my firstimpressions, I was surprised at some ofthe professions the women had as theyare ‘stereotypically’ seen as men basedjobs, such as electrician, engineer andbanker. They shed a new light to theworking life, one that can only be taughtthrough the eyes of these experiencedand confident women, I believe thisopportunity is something that will staywith me for my future years to come asthe advice they gave was constructiveand influential to me.’

Yasmin El-harrous, pupil at Elizabeth GarrettAnderson School following the Women WhoMake London event which took place in July 2014

Launched by Miriam González Durántez on 17October 2013 with the support of Bank of AmericaMerrill Lynch as key strategic partner and leadcorporate supporter, the Inspiring Women Campaignbegan with 10 high profile women sharing their careerinsights with 100 girls at Lancaster House in London.

The campaign reached out to female volunteers doinga wide range of jobs in different sectors, fromapprentices to CEOs, those in full or part-time workor recently retired. It sought to recruit and makeavailable to local schools 15,000 Inspiring Women andto connect more than 250,000 girls and young womenwith local employee volunteers by March 2015.

4 Mann, A and Percy, C (2013) ‘Employer engagement in British secondary education: wage earning outcomes experienced by young adults.’ Journal ofEducation and Work

5 Flouri, E. & Panourgia C. (2012). Do primary school children's career aspirations matter? The relationship between family poverty, career aspirations andemotional and behavioural problems. Centre for Longitudinal Studies Working Paper 2012/5. IOE, London

6 Archer, L., Osborne, J., DeWitt, J., Dillon, J, & Wong, B. (2013) ASPIRES: Young people’s science and career aspirations, age 10-14. London: King’s College

7 BIS (2013) Professor John Perkins’ Review of Engineering Skills. London: BIS

8 Lavy, V. and Sand, E. (2015) On The Origins of Gender Human Capital Gaps: Short and Long Term Consequences of Teachers' Stereotypical Biases, NBERWorking Paper No. 20909

Inspiring Women: The Case for Action

As well as these immediate benefits, a growing body of evidence alsosuggests that these types of interactions between young people andemployers are associated with positive effects on the long-term employmentand earnings prospects of participating young people.4

“I’d say go for it! Learning is not limited to the classroom”


26 March 2015 12 March 2015 25 Feb 2015 20 Jan 2015 16 Dec 2014 12 Nov 2014

Campaign timeline

Inspiring Women:‘Driven to Success’On 26 March 2015 women took part in aunique ‘career speed networking’ eventwith 100 girls aged 13 – 17 from fourstate secondary schools on the HQSWellington. From RAF jet fighter planepilots, to Formula E drivers, to BritishAirways’ first female pilot, to MerchantNavy officers and helicopter pilots, thesewomen are breaking into traditionallymale dominated arenas.

The event was on board HQS Wellington,the last surviving Second World Warescort ship in Britain. Moored at TempleStairs on the River Thames since 1948,she is the Headquarters of the HonourableCompany of Master Mariners.

Inspiring Women in TechOn 12 March 2015 Mulberry School forGirls in the London Borough of TowerHamlets hosted the Inspiring Women inTechnology career speed networkingevent. High achieving women fromhousehold name companies such as;Google UK, Facebook, Sky News,Microsoft, LinkedIn and Bank of AmericaMerrill Lynch talked face to face with 100school girls about jobs and careers.

Inspiring Women inSport launched at theBT TowerOn 20 January 2015 female leaders fromthe world of sport including; BT Sportbroadcaster Clare Balding, world 400mchampion Christine Ohuruogu and Ministerfor Sport Helen Grant joined MiriamGonzález Durántez at BT Tower for acareer networking session with studentsand to launch Inspiring Women in Sport.The launch announced Inspiring Women inSport Week – 23 February to 1 March2015.

Inspiring Women inFinance at the Bankof EnglandOn 16 December 2014, 45 high profilewomen working in the UK FinancialServices Sector took part in a careerspeed networking event with 120 girlsaged 14 – 17 from six London statesecondary schools at the iconic Bank ofEngland headquarters on ThreadneedleStreet.Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank ofEngland and Financial Times newspaperEditor, Lionel Barber, spoke about theirincreasing commitment to diversity andwhy a number of their female colleaguewere taking part in this event.

Inspiring Women inFashionOn 12 November 2014 the Editor of BritishVogue magazine, Alexandra Shulman with20 other women from the fashion industrytook part in an Inspiring Women campaign‘career speed networking’ and 120 girls atSt Saviour’s & St Olave’s School, New KentRoad, London. The aim of this event was to demystify theever popular fashion industry and show thewide range of roles to which young girlstoday can aspire – from design, tomanufacturing, to marketing, to retail.Looking behind the glitz and glamour tothe real jobs available to the enterprising.

Inspiring Women in Sportwith Clare Balding atLondon Aquatics CentreOn 25 February 2015, BT Sport broadcaster ClareBalding joined Miriam González Durántez and 300 girlsfrom 18 state schools at the London Aquatics Centre for‘career speed networking’ with women working acrossthe sport sector.Backed by principal partner BT Sport and also theBritish Olympic Association and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Inspiring Women calledupon females working in this sector to talk with girlsabout forging a career in this traditionally maledominated industry.More sessions took place across the country duringInspiring Women in Sport Week – 23 February to 1March 2015 including events at BT Murrayfield rugbyground in Edinburgh and the National Tennis Centre inwest London.


11 July 2014 2 July 2014 19 June 2014 7 March 2014 22 Jan 2014 17 Oct 2013

Campaign timeline

Inspiring Women –Women Who MakeLondonThe ‘Women Who Make London‘ eventtook place at Elizabeth Garrett AndersonSchool, King’s Cross, on 11 July 2014 withLord Mayor Fiona Woolf CBE and 100other women; from West End theatrechoreographers to Thames sewerageengineers.

Inspiring Womenwith Aston MartinInspiring Women with Aston Martin at TileHill School, Coventry on 2 July 2014.Women doing diverse jobs at the companydrove the latest model Aston Martin carson to the school playing field, then didcareer speed networking with 100 girls.

Inspiring Women inDesign andManufacturingInspiring Women in Design andManufacturing had 160 students at StMary’s Catholic College in Wallasey, nearLiverpool, doing career speed networkingin their school on 19 June 2014.

Inspiring Womenincluding SamanthaCameron and ClareBalding at BasildonUpper AcademyOne of the first high profile events to beheld in a school was Inspiring Women‘career speed networking’ and careers fairat Basildon Upper Academy, Essex, on 22January 2014. Career speed networkersalso included Dame Tessa Jowell DBE andMiriam González Durántez.

The campaign launchat Lancaster HouseLondonThe Inspiring the Future: Inspiring Womencampaign launched with a ‘career speednetworking’ event hosted by MiriamGonzález Durántez with 100 girls from 11state secondary schools talking jobs andcareers with 10 high profile womenincluding Ruby McGregor-Smith, FionaBruce and Carolyn McCall.

Inspiring Women inScotlandOn 6 October 2014, New CollegeLanarkshire hosted the Inspiring Women inScotland launch event. Ten senior womenfrom government, public and private sectors,and the arts took part in a speed career-networking event talking directly with 100young girls about their experiences, their joband how they got there. Schools andcolleges in Scotland can now find diversevolunteers to talk jobs, careers and lifeexperiences with their students.

16 Oct 2014 15 July 2014

RAF – InspiringWomenInspiring Women did an event with femaleRAF helicopter crew landing at ManchesterAcademy in Moss Side on 15 July 2014with the RAF’s first female Air Vice-Marshal, Elaine West CBE.

InternationalWomen’s Day withJustine Thornton International Women’s Day saw RushanaraAli, Bow and Bethnal Green MP andShadow Education Minister, visit CentralFoundation Girls School in Bow, andJustine Thornton, Environmental Barristervisit Parliament Hill Girls School inCamden on 7 March 2014 for InspiringWomen career speed networking sessions.


All state schools and colleges in the country canregister for free and invite women into theirschools to meet both young women and youngmen. As of the end of March 2015, over 8,000representatives from more than 4,500 stateschools and colleges from across the UK havesigned up to use Inspiring the Future. They arehead teachers, classroom teachers and careersprofessionals who can use the secure on-linematch-making technology of Inspiring the Futureto select and invite volunteers to support eventsand activities they are organising.

When volunteers register with Inspiring the Future,they agree to spend at least an hour a year talking toyoung people about their job and share informationabout themselves, their job and the organisationthey work for, the activities they can help out withand their particular specialisms, such as being ableto speak about Apprenticeships or using languagesin the workplace. All this information is visible toteachers at schools and colleges based in the areathe volunteer has said they are available to volunteerin, so teachers can tailor events and invitationsaccordingly. Teachers however can’t accessvolunteers contact details directly and do so via thesecure Inspiring the Future matchmaking portal

Teachers looking to organise Inspiring Womenevents and activities can therefore send messagesand invitations to female volunteers in their area.This might be for an Inspiring Women event targetedspecifically at young women, or for an event for bothboys and girls. Some examples of how teachers atboth all-girls and mixed schools have used Inspiringthe Future to organise a diverse array of InspiringWomen events for young women of different agesare set out here.

Message: Dear Inspirer of the Future, Iwould like to invite you to work with twogroups of 8-10 twelve to thirteen yearold girls as part of our ChallengingPerceptions of Women's Work Careersevent in our school Hall. You wouldprovide an overview of your job role, ahands-on activity that would give thegirls an insight into what your roleinvolves, and the help the girls to createa profile of your job that could be usedto market it to other students. Teacher at a mixed secondary school in Brent

Message: We are hosting an InspiringWomen's event to coincide withInternational Women's Day and toinspire young female students at ourschool. We are currently running aproject which works with our femalepupils on self-esteem/confidence,distorted perceptions of beauty, andother issues which affect young femalesin our society. We would like the eventday to bring together the girls from theproject, as well as other girls in school,and to provide role models and careerinsights for them. The visit wouldinvolve giving a talk to the girls aboutyour career, challenges you haveovercome, and answering somequestions at the end.

Teacher at a mixed secondary school inManchester

How it worksThe Inspiring Women campaign is part of Inspiring theFuture, the free national service run by the Education andEmployers charity which was launched in July 2012.

a series of highprofile InspiringWomen events

for stateschools and

colleges

Message: I teach Maths and Physics upto A Level and we are hoping to get abigger uptake in the future of girls takingPhysics (and Maths). I have seen yourdetails on the Inspiring the Future websiteand was wondering if you’d be able tocome and talk to some groups of pupilsabout your job and the education choicesyou’ve made. We were hoping to get aselection of women in and do a sort ofrotation system so it would about 10minutes with each group.

Teacher at a mixed secondary school inRichmond-upon-Thames

To help showcase the Inspiring Women campaign andinspire both schools and volunteers to sign-up, theEducation and Employers Charity organised a series ofhigh profile Inspiring Women events for state schoolsand colleges located in different parts of the country.From the Inspiring Women campaign launch atLancaster House in London in October 2013 toInspiring Women in Sport at the Olympic Park’sAquatic Centre in February 2015, these eventsbrought young women from state schools andcolleges into contact with women from the widestpossible range of roles and sectors, who they wouldnot otherwise have had the opportunity to meet.




Media coverageThe Inspiring Women campaign has garnered a lot ofpositive press in the last 18 months, and word is spreading

With major coverage from: The BBC, The Guardian, The Times, TheIndependent, The Evening Standard,Vogue, The Financial Times, TheHuffington Post, The Telegraph, Grazia,Red, City AM


Inspiring Women VolunteersAs of the end of March 2015, 15,009 Inspiring Women have signed up andpledged ‘an hour a year to talk to girls’ in a state school near home or work abouttheir life experience, job and career route. These Inspiring Women volunteers aredrawn from across the country and work in a very wide range of occupations, fororganisations drawn from all sectors of the economy.

Inspiring Women volunteers range from archaeologists to zoologists, apprenticesto CEOs.

The Impact of theInspiring WomenCampaign

The Inspiring Women: 100 examples

Finance Director American ExpressFinancial Controller Rolls Royce PLCFire Fighter London Fire BrigadeFood Director Pret A MangerForensic Investigator Financial Conduct AuthorityFraud Resolution Specialist ExperianFund manager BAE systemsFunding Manager Big Lottery FundFundraising Manager UNICEFGame Engine Programmer Rockstar NorthGlobal Campaigns Manager Amnesty InternationalGlobal Capability Manager British CouncilGP The Abingdon SurgeryGraduate Engineer GKN AerospaceGraphic Artist CapgeminiGraphic Designer The FAHead of Collections Towner Art GalleryHead of Events British SwimmingHead of Ecommerce New LookHead of HR Lloyds Banking GroupHead of IT Towergate InsuranceHead of Media TescoHead of School Finance University of ManchesterHead of University Department Birmingham City UniversityHelicopter Pilot Royal Navy HR Adviser Sunderland City CouncilHR Advisor B&QHR Business Partner Carillion PlcHR Coordinator Macmillan Cancer SupportImmigration Inspector The Home OfficeInternational Policy Advisor Royal Academy of EngineeringInterview Officer Her Majesty's Passport OfficeInvestment Banker Goldman SachsIT Graduate Telefónica O2Junior Chemist VeoliaJunior Doctor NHSJunior Marketing Executive Brompton Bicycle LtdKey partnership manager British AirwaysLand Graduate Berkeley GroupLand Surveyor Ordnance SurveyLearning Coordinator McKinsey & CoLegal Adviser Treasury Solicitor's DepartmentLifelong Learning Manager RSPBManaging Director World AthleticsManagement Consultant KPMGManagement Consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers UKManaging Director AccentureMarketing Director HomebaseMarketing Officer Shakespeare's GlobeMaterials Engineer Mercdes AMG HPPMedia and Communications Manager London Chamber

of Commerce and IndustryMedia Partnerships Manager TwitterMental Health Nurse Oxford Health NHS Foundation TrustMidwife Teacher University of West LondonNational Account Manager Twentieth Century FoxNursery Manager ChildbaseOffice Manager POD FoodOffshore Wind Farm Asset Manager DONG EnergyParalegal/P.A. Mishcon De ReyaParks Technical Officer Maidstone Borough CouncilPartner Allen & OveryPerformance Director Great Britain Wheelchair RugbyPerformance Manager SercoPerformance Manager Trains Transport for LondonPerformer London Playback Theatre

PGA Teaching Professional Professional Golfers AssociationPilot Royal Air ForcePodiatrist Hillingdon NHSPolicy Adviser BIS

(The Department for Business Innovation and Skills)Policy and Research Analyst NSPCCPolitical Correspondent ITNPrincipal Property Manager Dorset County CouncilPrison Officer Ministry of JusticeProducer TalkSPORTProduct Developer CentricaProduct Director MasterCardProduct Manager Addison LeeProduction journalist Financial TimesProduction Manager The British Institute of RadiologyProfessor Imperial College LondonProgramme Director RBSProject Manager BloombergProject Manager Department for EducationPublic Affairs Officer ShelterPublishing Assistant Penguin BooksRadio presenter/ Football Reporter Sky SportsRegional Director Business Growth Fund plcRegional Manager Compass Group UKRegional Quality Manager Hit TrainingResearcher House of CommonsResearch Fellow, UK Centre for Diet and Activity ResearchRetail Project Manager Marks & SpencerReward and benefits manager The Natural History MuseumReward Manager River IslandRugby Development Officer Rugby Football UnionSales Director Cognizant Technology Solutions UK LimitedSales Executive SiemensSales Graduate Barratt Developments PlcSecretary PimcoSenior Analyst BNY MellonSenior Awards Officer BAFTASenior Building Services Engineer English HeritageSenior Category Director AsdaSenior Economist HM TreasurySenior Manager HSBCSenior Marketing Manager Innocent drinksSenior Public Health Practitioner Public Health Wales NHS TrustSenior Research Officer Scottish GovernmentSocial Worker East Sussex County CouncilSolicitor Belmont & LoweSpecial Adviser Deputy Prime Minister's OfficeSpecialist Occupational Therapist The Children's TrustSponsorship Manager Royal Yachting AssociationSports Editor Mail on SundaySports Scientist PepsicoStakeholder advisor Reading CouncilStore Manager J SainsburysStrategy Manager LV=Structural Engineer ARUPStudio Coordinator YMCASwimming Development Officer National Deaf Children's Society

Talent & Music Manager MTVTax Manager Ernst & Young LLPTheatre Manager Prince of Wales TheatreTown Planner Wigan CouncilTrainee Solicitor Dechert LLPUnderwriter ZurichVice President Deutsche BankWater Network Apprentice United UtilitiesWomen’s and Girl’s Development Officer Football Association

Account Executive WPPAccounting Assistant Kent County CouncilAnalyst Credit SuisseApprentice Commercial Underwriter AXA UKApprentice Electrician JTLArchitect/ Associate Rogers Stirk Harbour and PartnersArchitectural Assistant CrossrailArchivist BurberryAssistant Brand Manager Nestle UKAssistant Head Armouer Royal Opera HouseAssistant Quantity Surveyor Balfour Beatty PlcAssistant Site Manager Kier ConstructionAssociate Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLPAstrophysicist University College LondonBarrister Stone KingAirline Pilot British AirwaysBranch Manager SantanderBrand Communications Manager The EconomistBritish Army Officer British ArmyBroadcast Journalist BBCBusiness Analyst JP MorganBusiness Devlopment Director Swiss Eyewear GroupCampaign Manager GoogleCEO MITIE Group PLCChief Officer Red Funnel Merchant NavyChartered Legal Executive Weightmans LLPChartered Surveyor CBREClient Partner FacebookClinical Trial Coordinator King's College LondonCommand Coordinator Royal NavyCommunication Manager Cabinet Office

Community Relations Manager Skanska UKConsultant DeloitteConsultant Anaesthetist Great Ormond Street Hospital for

Children NHS Foundation TrustConsultant Surgeon Western Sussex NHS TrustCorporate Communications Manager Aston MartinCurator Museum of LondonCustody Nurse Practitioner Metropolitan PoliceCustomer Experience Manager ArgosDebt Collector H.M. Revenue and CustomsDelivery Director IBMDeputy Chief Financial Officer NNHS Central LondonDerivatives Analyst Northern TrustDetective Inspector Essex PoliceDigital Designer ZoneDiplomat Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeDirector Bank of America Merrill LynchDirector of Development Royal Academy of ArtsDirector of Sales Standard Chartered BankDrilling Engineer BPDriver Line Manager Southern RailwayEconomist Social Market FoundationEmployment Law Consultant CapitaEnvironmental Scientist AecomEvents and Operations Manager Premiership RugbyEvents Director London Business ForumFarmer Stocks FarmFeatures Writer Red MagazineFinance Analyst British GasFinance Apprentice Computer Aid InternationalFinance Co-ordinator England and Wales Cricket Board

The impact of theInspiring Womencampaign


By early April 2015, the Inspiring Womenvolunteers had received more than45,000 invitations to attend a whole hostof different events and activities inschools and colleges around thecountry. Many of these invitations werefor events involving both boys and girls,while others were for events designedspecifically for young women. Someexamples of events targeted specificallyat young women are set out below:

Message: Dear Inspiring Woman Volunteer!

Following on from the resounding success of an

Inspiring Women in Fashion event at my school last

November, I am hoping to organise another speed

networking event for students in Year 9 who are in the

process of considering their GCSE options. The main

focus will be languages in the workplace. Young

people are often unaware of the multiple career paths

that are open to them through the knowledge of a

foreign language and the aim is to open their eyes to

the reality of languages /employment.

Teacher at an all-girls secondary school in Southwark

Message: We are requesting some of your valuable time to speak to our Year 9 studentsabout the journey in your professional life. These Aspiration Days give students theopportunity to learn about routes into different industries and professions, as well asdeveloping their aspirations and self-confidence to pursue their dreams, or indeed to helpthem focus on one. Guest speakers will present a short talk on their current position,inspirations into their field of work, and give advice to students about what they could donow to help them on their journey. After this, there will be a workshop session whereguests will move around a carousel to do a ten minute questions and answer slot.

Teacher at a mixed secondary school in Haringey

Message: We will be organising a short session for our Year 8 girls to introduce careers forwomen in sport and inspire them to get involved in sports. We would like volunteers tosupport with this event by talking to our girls about different careers in sport from varyingperspectives. Volunteers would be supported by our teaching staff and we would organisesome fun activities for students and volunteers to participate in.

Teacher at a mixed secondary school in Mansfield


A number of key themes emerge fromthis feedback. The opportunity to meet and talk to inspirationalwomen is highly valued by young women and by theirteachers:

‘The Inspiring Women in Finance event was anopportunity for our girls to go to a professionalworkplace, somewhere really prestigious, tomeet women who have done extremely well in ashort period of time and see that anything ispossible if you work hard enough. It gave themideas about where they might head andsomething to focus on.’

Caroline Hatch, Achievement Leader atConisborough College Lewisham, reflecting on theInspiring Women in Finance event

Such opportunities can help challengestereotypes about ‘male’ or ‘female’ careers:

‘The event was much different to my firstimpressions, I was surprised at some of theprofessions the women had as they are‘stereotypically’ seen as men based jobs, suchas electrician, engineer and banker. They sheda new light to the working life, one that can onlybe taught through the eyes of theseexperienced and confident women’.

Yasmin El-harrous, pupil at Elizabeth GarrettAnderson School following the Women Who MakeLondon event which took place in July 2014

‘Inspiring Women and the RAF was a reallyuseful and enjoyable day. It was great to watchit unfold with military precision and to have AirVice Marshal Elaine West CBE present, as a rolemodel in a traditionally male career path whoshows that women can do well in the forces.’

Andy Griffin, Head Teacher at ManchesterAcademy, reflecting on the Inspiring Women andthe RAF event

Such opportunities can open young people’sminds to new avenues and possibilities:

‘Having the opportunity to meet 45 high profilewomen in the financial services broadened myview on what you can achieve in the economicsindustry, regardless of age, gender or wealth.Before attending the event, I had a sense ofwhat I wanted to do but it wasn’t clear. Ithought that most jobs were open to menbecause they had come from a private schoolor came from a wealthier background. I couldn’thelp being biased and close-minded.’

Jenny Nguyen, pupil at Addey and StanhopeSchool, reflecting on the Inspiring Women inFinance event

‘At the assembly, I was really surprised to seeso many women altogether and occupyingdifferent jobs to one another. I honestly didn’tknow there were a lot of jobs available forwomen. At the Careers Fair, what I liked themost (apart from the free goodies!) was thatevery woman there seemed happy with whatjobs they were occupying. Also there weredifferent opportunities at the stalls for youngpeople like me that boosted my confidence inthinking about options other than training to bea doctor. There were different jobs like creatingsurgeons, construction workers and others thatI have never heard of until I attended thisevent.’

Mahima Aktar, pupil at Enfield County School,reflecting on an Inspiring Women Careers Fair

Such opportunities can help increase youngpeople’s confidence and aspirations:

‘I’d say the girls who have benefitted the mostare probably those with less confidence whodidn’t think they had it in them to be successful– they came away from the Inspiring Women

Feedback from schoolsand young women

event with a spring in their step. Hearing from adoctor and a dentist who didn’t know what theywanted to do at their age and who weren’tnecessarily A-grade students, but who workedreally hard and made it was really powerful.’

Andy David, Teacher at Sir John Colfox School,Bridport, reflecting on Inspiring Women

Such opportunities can help increase youngpeople’s determination and application:

‘Before the event I wasn't sure what I wanted todo in the future but speaking to one of thewoman whose expertise was inwriting/journalism (a career choice I havewanted) I realised that gender is something thatshouldn't hold you back, her advice wasbeneficial and insightful as she told me in orderto become successful, hard work and willpower is essential as it is a very competitiveenvironment. I have held onto these words ofwisdom and looking at my improvement in mycommitment when it comes to opportunitiesover the years it has improved significantly. Forexample, I have taken up opportunities such asthe Duke Of Edinburgh Bronze award,something that takes a large amount ofcommitment and willpower.’

Yasmin El-harrous, pupil at Elizabeth GarrettAnderson School following the Women Who MakeLondon event which took place in July 2014

These effects are lasting:

‘Looking back on how I used to think, I findmyself to be more open minded and positiveabout my future. This event was helpful to meand has given me a different perspective onoptions other than my original option.’

Mahima Aktar, pupil at Enfield County School

‘The Inspiring Women event has definitely had alasting effect for the girls and the school. Thegirls still talk about the women who came toBasildon Upper Academy and they compareevery careers-related activity we do with themback to Inspiring Women! It really has changeda lot of the girls’ thought processes andaspirations.’

Maxine Westley, Assistant Pastoral Manager at theBasildon Academies, reflecting on the inspiringWomen in Basildon event

These types of interactions can help developnetworks that lead to other employerengagement opportunities for schools andyoung people:

‘Overall it was phenomenal, the best thing I’vedone in 15 years of teaching, and it’s had long-lasting benefits for our pupils. Three girls whoattended have obtained work experienceplacements via the Inspiring Women whoattended the event and a group of girls aregoing to visit KPMG’s headquarters in London.’

Andy David, Teacher at Sir John Colfox School

‘The Lancaster House event was one of manythings we have done to support our youngpeople but for those who attended it sits highlyin their development and they refer back to itoften. In terms of lasting effects, one of thestudents who attended is now head girl – twoyears ago I don’t think she’d have had theconfidence to apply for the role. One of theFCO officials present at the Lancaster Houseevent subsequently came to visit the school –it’s great to have that sort of network.’

Shanaz Begum, teacher at Mulberry School forGirls, reflecting on the Inspiring Women launchevent at Lancaster House

These comments from young women and their teachersshed light on the myriad ways in which interactionsbetween successful female role models, through theInspiring Women campaign, can help broaden thehorizons of young people, open their eyes to new avenuesand possibilities and shape their career aspirations.

To better understand how young people have benefitted from the Inspiring Womencampaign, the Education and Employers charity ran a reflective writing competition foryoung women who had attended high-profile Inspiring Women events in January 2015and interviewed a number of teachers who had arranged for their pupils to participateand who had attended the events themselves.


We need you to help us to expand this freeprogramme so we can reach more young peoplein state schools across the UK.

Volunteer with usTo sign up and volunteer please visit:http://www.inspiringthefuture.org

Help spread the word on social media

Follow the campaign on Twitter: @Edu_Employers and like us on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/inspiringthefuture

Share your experiences of talking with school studentson our blog:Inspiring Women blog: https://itfinspiringwomen.wordpress.com/

About Inspiring the Future and Education and Employers

Inspiring the Future Inspiring Women is part of the free, national Inspiring the Future programme whichwas launched in England in July 2012. Nearly 75% of state schools have registeredtogether with over 20,000 volunteers from over 5,000 organisations. The aim is tobring about a significant culture change so that it becomes commonplace that youngwomen and men - wherever they live and whatever their social background - get thechance to meet a wide range of women doing different jobs - from Apprentices toCEOs, archaeologists to zoologists. The key strategic partner and lead corporatesupporter is Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Who is behind Inspiring the Future: Inspiring Women?The Education and Employers charity was launched in October 2009 and has 12staff. Its aim is ‘to ensure that every school and college has effective partnershipswith employers which provide young people with the inspiration, motivation,knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to help them achieve their potentialand so secure our national prosperity.’ www.educationandemployers.org

22 April 2015

Next Steps forInspiring Women



Education and Employers Charity19-21 Clerkenwell Close

LondonEC1R 0RR

Tel: 0207 566 4880

You can follow us @Edu_Employers and @PrimaryFutures

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Inspiring Women: the story so far

2013 - 2015

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