Foot Anstey announces strategic partnership with Young Enterprise

Foot Anstey announces long-term charity partnership with Young Enterprise as part of its commitment to improving social mobility across the UK

National law firm Foot Anstey has today announced an initial three-year strategic partnership with Young Enterprise to help tackle social mobility. The announcement follows a commitment to invest at least 1% of the firm's net profit into responsible business and comes off the back of the recently launched responsible business framework.

Providing essential entrepreneurship, financial education and applied learning opportunities to young people across the UK, Young Enterprise's model equips young people from a variety of backgrounds with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to thrive in the working world and beyond.

Foot Anstey’s partnership will support the core work of the charity while also enabling it to test new models and reach more young people. In an innovative collaboration, the charity will pilot delivery of its programme with the Foyer Federation, a national charity strengthening youth-supported housing services for young people who can't live at home. They also provide valuable learning and development opportunities, to help young people make informed choices about the next steps in their lives.

The core of the partnership will see Foot Anstey fund partner schools through the Inspiring Futures programme, delivered in areas of significant disadvantage in Foot Anstey’s local communities, notably Bristol, Southampton and Manchester, as well as support those schools to address the barriers faced by students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Foot Anstey will be a vital partner in Young Enterprise’s mission to tackle and enhance social mobility, raise the next generation’s career ambitions and ease the transition from education to work. The partnership brings together organisations committed to breaking down the additional barriers that many young people from disadvantaged backgrounds face when trying to enter the workforce. The longer-term impacts will be palpable; with dedicated alumni networks available to offer continued support well beyond the programme conclusion, and research to understand how to embed the model effectively.

The partnership will be a crucial pillar in furthering Young Enterprise’s 60-year legacy of improving local economies, dismantling social barriers, and encouraging productivity in the UK.

Commenting on the initiative, Managing Partner Martin Hirst said: “Foot Anstey has been committed to collaborating with and supporting charitable causes since its infancy, and we are incredibly proud of the investments we make in our people, the communities around us, and indeed those further afield. We thoroughly look forward to building our relationship with Young Enterprise and supporting a much-needed shift in social mobility, helping the next generation to overcome barriers and realise their ambitions.”

Bola Gibson, Executive Director for Responsible Business at Foot Anstey, commented: “Young Enterprise is a fantastic charity, recognised for enabling young people to surmount social barriers and access their potential. We're incredibly proud to announce our partnership and excited to explore the impact we can have through schools as well as Youth Foyers. We are eager to get to work contributing to and developing their legacy in the years to come and look forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”

Sarah Porretta, CEO at Young Enterprise, added: “We are delighted to be working with Foot Anstey over the next three years – their support for our Transforming Futures strategy is vitally important and will enable us to support even more young people facing barriers to opportunity. It is truly a wonderful opportunity to partner with a business so focused on its local community, and so willing to connect young people with the working world. Evidence shows that this type of connection can be a game changer – opening up new perspectives and raising aspirations.”

Joel Lewis, Chief Executive of the Foyer Federation, commented: “We are thrilled to be working with Young Enterprise and Foot Anstey to provide transformational opportunities for young people who can’t live at home. The employment landscape is tough right now, more so for young people experiencing challenging circumstances, but we know that by developing the right systems and support, we can forge a vibrant future for young people across the country. We are delighted to partner with organisations committed to developing innovative approaches that work with young people to realise their power and purpose.”