Young people have been hit hard by the Covid economy, facing high unemployment and uncertainty about their futures. FastFutures was built alongside some of the UK’s top employers with the aim of supporting young people with the digital skills and one-on-one mentoring they need to kick start their careers.
The fully funded, 12-week online course is designed to give you essential practical skills that employers need. It covers topics like data, finance, marketing, and teamwork, and you can take part regardless of your background or education.
Hear from current FastFutures learners, Sakina, Eoin and Phoebe, as they talk about why they chose to apply to the programme and how their FastFutures experience has been so far.
What is your background and why did you apply to FastFutures?
“I am currently studying Mathematics in university and hoping to go into the Finance or Business sector. I applied to FastFutures to improve on my skill set, enhance my CV, get more clarity in different fields and experiment to see what I am interested in most. Also, to meet new people and make connections, and access the door to new and better opportunities.” – Sakina Idrees Fakhruddin
“I am a first-year student studying Business Management. Before I joined FastFutures I was taking part in extracurricular activities and doing short internships to prepare for future opportunities. FastFutures offers further insight into areas that my university course taught me about. But instead of just teaching the basic theory, it gave me the opportunity to put it into a case study with business examples.
In addition, the opportunity to work alongside and learn from my peers across the country as well as industry leading professionals that I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to learn from. Finally, having a mentor who works in these areas and will give direct, personalised feedback on how to improve my CV and can give advice on how to grow my portfolio is something that isn’t usually offered.” – Eoin Sheehy
“I finished sixth form with two A Levels as a result of a mental health crisis and have gone on to university to study Politics. I’ve just finished my first year and have converted to a placement year degree. I signed up to FastFutures to learn the hard skills and the data, finance and marketing skills that I had no way of learning but that all the placements, internships and grad jobs seemed to want. I’ve definitely got what I wanted so far!
FastFutures for me was a certification of my competence in certain technical areas that would come up in future work and it has already helped me to get a Trustee role at an international charity!” – Phoebe Hanson
What have been some of the key highlights of the programme so far?
“The engagement with peers has been amazing. The module content is very thought-provoking and covers a brief overview of everything making it more holistic.” – Sakina Idrees Fakhruddin
“The assessments have been more challenging and much better than I expected, because they’re really grounded in reality instead of hypotheticals. I’ve also recently had my first mentor meeting which was fantastic. It was incredible to be able to speak to someone who was career focused as that is not something I grew up with.” – Phoebe Hanson
“Speaking to and getting feedback from my mentor, working with a team of hardworking peers and learning about the different sectors and industries from people who are experienced in those fields.” – Eoin Sheehy
What are your goals and aspirations?
“I want to meet new people and be able to explore different areas of work without having to immediately commit to a role full-time. The programme is giving me the breathing space of exploration which I appreciate. At the same time, it is something substantial enough that I can talk about and put in my CV and use as a reference point in future employment opportunities.” – Sakina Idrees Fakhruddin
“My goal is to have a career that makes a positive difference and helps people, leaving the world better than I found it. I think by equipping us with hard skills, FastFutures is facilitating a nice transition as there are very few ways for young people to actually get started on the career ladder.
To get entry-level experience, you’re already expected to have experience, and you end up in an infinite vicious cycle. FastFutures is a way to stand still instead of running around in circles!” – Phoebe Hanson
“My short-term goal (throughout the internship programme) is to build upon my skills and CV to achieve a placement year for 2022. My medium-term goal (by the end of the internship programme) is to learn more about the different industries, make connections and grow both personally and professionally. My long-term goal is to gain experience in areas such as management, consulting and marketing, and then create my own companies.” – Eoin Sheehy
Find out more and apply
Find out more about the programme and hear more from learners and their FastFutures experience.
The next FastFutures cohort will begin in September 2021. Applications are now open and will close on the 31st of August.
Don’t miss out on your opportunity to increase your employability. Apply now!
