Steps to Success
What is Steps to Success?
Steps to Success helps 14 to 16-year-olds who are on free school meals and have lower school attendance or a special educational need. Schools identify participants with the potential to make excellent progress in the workplace. Students attend coaching, and a short workplace experience or workplace visit, matched to their career goals. This helps them to choose and progress into a post-16 education or employment pathway that suits them.
Steps to Success is a pilot programme, funded by the Careers and Enterprise Company’s Effective Transitions Fund, in association with J.P. Morgan.
How can East Sussex employers get involved?
Employers can:
- Host a student on work experience
- Offer a workplace tour to a small group of students
- Meet a student, alongside Steps to Success staff, to introduce their sector.
How does Steps to Success support employers?
A dedicated work experience officer supports the employer and student, including:
- a pre-placement meeting, for employers to communicate expectations to the student
- accompanying nervous students on their first day
- monitoring calls, visits, and a post-placement review.
Benefits for Employers
- Community engagement
- A fresh perspective on their business
- Staff development
- Building a talent pipeline.
Benefits for Students
- More confidence
- Employability skills
- Sector insight
- Clearer future direction.
Results
- In 2023, 9 out of 10 Steps to Success students progressed onto a lasting Year 12 educational pathway.
Find out more about Steps to Success, speak to our friendly team at workexperience@eastsussex.gov.uk
And for more information about work experience in general, see our work experience pages.