Tech Frontier (careers)
The Tech Frontier was a year-long SWSMC project supported by the Hg Foundation that has led to multi-year trialling of centralised work experience schemes in the South West peninsula and beyond.
Centralised work experience
involves numerous students engaging in pre-designed, immersive projects led by employers or social enterprises at a centralised location.
Advantages:
- High quality programmes designed by experts
- Small and micro employers can participate in a less demanding way than traditional work experience
- Programmes can be targeted at students from under-resourced backgrounds, supporting social mobility
Project impact
We supported Cornwall & Devon Careers Hubs to win £125,000 in funding to deliver centralised work experience and tech workshops to 1500+ students over two-and-a-half years.
National charity Futures For All (formerly Speakers for Schools) have also been trialling centralised work experience in Somerset and beyond.
Read the Reports
Read about the impact of the work in our Project Impact Update (May 2025).
The original research and recommendations were published in The Tech Frontier report (April 2024).
Photos from our expert roundtable event
This work would not have been possible without the generous support of the following:
