Leading FWD is a youth leadership, employability and entrepreneurship experience that prepares young people for real opportunities and connects them with employers, entrepreneurs, mentors and professional networks.

The Need

Young people need more than inspiration. They need the confidence and practical skills to navigate professional environments, access networks and recognise opportunities in a changing world of work.

Leading FWD bridges the gap between aspiration and opportunity through preparation, professional exposure and clear next steps.

The Offer

Leading FWD combines leadership, employability, entrepreneurship, AI and future skills with direct access to professional networks and opportunities.

Young people develop their goals, communication, professional presence and interview readiness before engaging directly with employers, entrepreneurs, mentors and industry professionals.

The aim is simple: prepare young people before opening the door to opportunity.

How It Works

For Young People

Develop the skills, confidence and networks to take your next step.

Leading FWD helps young people:

• Strengthen leadership and professional confidence
• Improve communication and interview readiness
• Develop practical AI and future skills
• Meet employers, entrepreneurs and mentors
• Explore employment and enterprise opportunities
• Identify clear next steps beyond the programme

For Employers & Partners

Leading FWD gives businesses, professionals and organisations a practical way to create opportunities with young people.

Partners can contribute through sponsorship, mentoring and coaching, speakers and workshops, industry insight, work experience, internships and longer-term partnerships.

Why Partner

Partners can help young people build the relationships, knowledge and access needed to progress while creating meaningful opportunities for their own organisations to engage with emerging talent.

Leading FWD enables partners to:

• Engage with diverse emerging talent
• Create meaningful employee volunteering opportunities
• Share professional and entrepreneurial expertise
• Support social mobility and economic participation
• Contribute to measurable youth outcomes

Participants can progress into mentoring, employment and work-experience opportunities, further skills development, Founders Lab, enterprise development and wider opportunities across the BANG and STACKS ecosystem.

The programme is designed to maintain connections beyond the initial experience and create clearer routes from leadership → opportunity → enterprise → economic participation.