When I spent the afternoon with Peter Jones, CBE from Dragons’ Den, it was not my average day at work. However, that’s exactly what Polly Jacob (Softcat Recruiter) and I did recently, filming our very own digital lessons and launching a ‘Flash Challenge’ as part of Softcat’s work with the Peter Jones Foundation.

Who are the Peter Jones Foundation?

The Foundation equips young people with enterprise skills; educating, encouraging and empowering them to reach their potential and ultimately improve their employability. Here at Softcat, we love the work that the Foundation are doing in addressing the core issues that equip students for the working world. This is because it’s these skills and qualities that we look for in our staff, and we are extremely excited to be a part of this programme that allows us to invest in young people in the UK.

Softcat's Digital Lessons

Teaming up with the big man himself, and the fantastic team at the Foundation, we had the opportunity to create two digital lessons, or ‘Microlearns’ for their new digital platform. This platform will be accessed by schools and colleges across the UK and will provide practical, relevant and accessible learning material to students. This will also include the building blocks to develop enterprise capabilities for entering the working world.

The Microlearns form part of a fifteen-minute lesson containing around seven minutes of video footage that explains a practical business concept. Our Softcat Microlearns provide guidance on two key subject areas; body language to inspire confidence, and presentation skills - how to make your point clearly, and get it heard. These are transferable skills that we see as essential in any industry, and through working with the Foundation in this way we aim to help students use these skills to grow, develop, become inspired and find their passion in life.

Flash Challenge

In addition to the Microlearns, Polly had the exciting task of launching a ‘Flash Challenge’, which gives students an opportunity to develop a range of skills in a real-life context. The challenge was recorded as a video to be part of the BTEC Level 3 Enterprise and Entrepreneurship course. In the course pupils participate in real-world projects set by The Peter Jones Foundation’s network of entrepreneurs and business sponsors, including ourselves here at Softcat.

Our Partnership

We have developed a strong relationship with the Peter Jones Foundation over the past four years and have once again committed to be an Enterprise Partner for 2018/19. We will continue to support them in the great work that they do in providing schools and colleges with the essential tools needed to grow and develop young people to be ready for the realities of the working world.

This forms part of Softcat’s wider commitment to the Education sector, and our programme of improving student employability and hiring the best young people across the UK. Our award-winning apprenticeships and graduate programmes are successful because of programmes like this which give students the opportunity to gain skills, knowledge and expertise in a real-life context.

We are excited about our work with the Foundation and are now looking forward to developing a programme of mentoring. The programme, when established, will team up Softcat staff with students to provide encouragement, advice, experience and support them on their learning journey.

Get in touch

If you’d like to find out more about our work with the Peter Jones Foundation, or about our apprenticeship or sales roles for graduates, please contact your Softcat Account Manager, or get in touch using the button below.