Social mobility at CGI
We're committed to tackling economic equality and supporting the next generation of the STEM workforce. In addition to offering STEM Camps and STEM from Home activities and delivering apprenticeships, industrial placements, graduate opportunities and work experience, we support social mobility through UK wide mentoring schemes – Fast Futures and Social Mobility Foundation.
Fast Futures
Set up in response to Covid-19, Fast Futures is a 12-week digital and business skills programme in data, innovation, finance, marketing and teamwork for 18-24 years olds where learners receive 1-2-1 mentoring sessions with employer partners. We are proud to partner with Fast Futures to deliver this programme and provide young people with practical advice and professional support as they navigate starting their careers.
Fast Futures is free to learners and has been designed to support young people from all backgrounds whilst addressing skill gaps for employers. Offering collaborative projects, interview practice and virtual site visits to gain insight into the workplace, learners come away with valuable insights from exposure to different communities and perspectives.
We have seen 86 young people supported by mentors from CGI during the first cohort of this programme, with more than 250 planned.
I joined the CGI Fast Futures Mentoring Team recently because mentoring has always been something I have resonated with. The opportunities for our younger generation are limitless with the Fast Futures programme, which is intended to support those who may not have benefitted from career guidance before. I’ve been matched with a mentee looking at their personal development in my field of expertise. As a Fast Futures first time mentor, it is easy to suffer impostor syndrome and I did wonder if I had the right skills to support her. Those concerns very quickly drifted away as we settled in to our first meeting via MS Teams to introduce ourselves, talk about our experiences and to determine what she would like to get out of the sessions. We’ve set objectives for our next session and I’m looking forward to seeing how my mentoring impacts my mentee’s outlook and aspirations. - Rachna Osman, Senior Consultant & CGI Fast Futures Mentor
Social Mobility Foundation
Founded in 2005, the Social Mobility Foundation aims to make practical improvements on social mobility for young people. Providing access to top universities and careers to 16-17 year olds from low-income backgrounds, the programmes offered by the Social Mobility Foundation involve mentoring, internships and professional development and skills workshops.
At CGI, we recognise the importance of workforce socioeconomic diversity and are proud to mentor students through the Social Mobility Foundation. Over the course of 9 months, our mentors provide young people with a greater understanding of professional life and help them to explore professional interests further, supporting their general skills development, providing them with new experiences, and assisting them application support and interview preparation for their first internship or first job.
