FastFutures

We’re here to support the careers of young people

We believe everyone should have the same opportunity to shape their future, whatever their background.

The fully-funded FastFutures programme is designed to do just that – giving you the skills and mentoring you need to kick-start your career.

Apply today

Work-ready skills, for everyone

We know that finding a job can be tough – especially if you’re just starting out in your career.

So, to help give you a head start, we’re offering the FastFutures business skills programme, and it's completely free.

If you’re aged 18-24 and have 12 hours a week to spare, we'd love you to apply for a place. Your background and how well you did at school don't matter – everyone is welcome to apply.

The FastFutures programme is like no other. We’ve partnered with some of the UK’s biggest and most innovative employers to give you experience of the workplace through mentoring, virtual site visits, FastTalks, team projects, and mock interviews.

In just 12 weeks you’ll learn the practical skills that employers really need, build your network, and increase your confidence. You’ll dive into data, marketing, finance, innovation and teamwork.

Sounds good, right?

Apply here to develop the skills you’ll need to succeed in your career.

What FastFutures learners say

97% feel more employable thanks to the programme
92% will be able to apply their learnings in the workplace
96% have changed their views and opinions through exposure to different communities and perspectives
92% rated their experience as good or excellent
45% were getting more interviews within a month of completing FastFutures

Apply today

Hear our learner stories

2000 people have now been through FastFutures. Here are some of the reasons why they applied.

Watch the video

You'll learn what it means to be data-driven

Data is the oil that helps businesses run – in fact, they can’t make good decisions without it. Dive into the world of data and learn how to use software to create and analyse reports.

You'll get to know about the power of marketing

Every business that needs to reach customers and sell its products needs sales and marketing. Learn how to use data to create campaigns that meet customers needs and get to know the channels you can use to reach them.

Working in teams will help you to grow

A diverse team is a happy team – and happy teams are successful. Understand the importance of working with people from all walks of life and learn how teams can keep growing and adapting to change.

Understand the fundamentals of finance

Understanding the essentials of finance and managing risk will help you stand out from the crowd. Don’t worry about having any previous accounting knowledge, because we’ll cover all the basics.

You'll get to work on a real life project

Thanks to new technology, the way teams work together is constantly changing. Learn how to successfully manage teams of people while working on a real-world business project in groups.

You'll be mentored by business professionals

In addition to the course modules, we're there to support you develop a great CV, virtual site visits and talks from top execs, practice interviews and job opportunities.

So, what will I learn?

The FastFutures programme is 12 weeks long and has five core modules. Each week you’ll give 10-12 hours of your time to learn everything you need to increase your chances of getting a job.

Some of the UK’s leading employers support you along the way with:

Mentoring from business experts
Exclusive virtual site visits
Business challenges and projects
A mock interview
Guidance on building a standout CV
Advice on how to demonstrate your skills and be your best self in interviews

If you successfully complete the 12-week course, you’ll become a FastFutures Graduate, with a certificate to use on your CV and LinkedIn - signed by the CBI and Avado - which highlights all the new skills you’ve learnt.

On top of the certificate and all the skills you'll learn, you'll also become part of the FastFutures alumni community group and get exclusive access to our jobs board.

Course modules

Getting started

You'll start off with an introduction to the course modules, giving you everything you need to get stuck in and succeed on the programme.

You'll also get an opportunity to meet your fellow learners, online.

The power of digital and data

Make decisions and take action based on data
Avoid some common biases when using data
Incorporate diversity and inclusion into your data collection, analysis and reporting activities
Create basic data visualisations to bring data to life
Carry out basic data analysis using a spreadsheet

Marketing made easy

Take a ‘customer -first’ approach, using data and models to map customer needs
Come up with plans to reach your audience at different stages in their journeys
Use a blend of different channels when planning marketing campaigns

Finance fundamentals

Interpret basic financial statements to assess an organisation’s financial health
Use unit economics to assess the costs of a product or service
Apply different investment techniques to decide if a business idea is worthwhile

Working with great teams

Apply your emotional and social intelligence to keep good working relationships with colleagues
Develop your understanding of what motivates people
Develop your leadership style, with strategies for building trust and handling conflict

Adapt and innovate

Use a customer-driven mindset to adopt a rapid approach to product design and planning
Test your ideas and adapt quickly based on data and feedback
Use Agile techniques to help keep a project on-track

How the application process works

Diversity & Inclusion is also at the heart of everything we do and the programme is designed to take a completely unbiased approach. To achieve this, as part of the application process, you'll be asked to complete an online assessment which helps us to assess your potential for the programme, and ensures everyone has a fair chance at success.

Career Wise online assessment

Everyone who applies to FastFutures gets a free online psychometric assessment, called CareerWise, via our partner Arctic Shores. It's an interactive game that gives you tasks to test your natural behaviours instead of the usual numeracy and literacy tests. This means everything is fair and there is equal opportunity, irrespective of education or background.

You then receive your own personal assessment report, giving you valuable insights on:

How you deal with situations
How you process and use information
What motivates and drives you
How you communicate in teams
How you approach problem solving

You’ll receive your link to CareerWise as soon as you hit the apply button.

Phone interview

If you pass the Career Wise test, we'll then schedule a final interview with you through our recruitment partners, Trinnovo. They're a friendly, award-winning team that will interview you, and also help us make sure we're sticking to our promises to make the programme as inclusive as possible.

Success - you're in

If you pass both stages, you're the right type of candidate to get the most value out of our limited places on the course. Our next cohort starts in June 2021 and we'll keep in touch in the run-up to the start date so you've got everything you need.

Apply today

Become a FastFutures growth partner

FastFutures is designed to provide young people from all backgrounds with the digital business skills organisations need, kickstarting their careers and addressing the skills gap for employers. The programme is funded by employer partners who mentor the learners, run mock interviews, and provide experience and insights into their organisations through business challenges and virtual site visits. For employers, FastFutures is a rewarding opportunity to impact youth employment and D&I, and to engage with tomorrow’s diverse digital workforce.

Find out more about becoming an employer growth partner here.