We have secured additional funding to support award-winning careers programme for school children in Sunderland

Primary school children from across Wearside will continue to benefit from the Raising Aspirations careers programme from Positive Footprints after securing more funding from Gentoo Group.

We have worked closely with Positive Footprints over the last three years to deliver the programme to over 1300 pupils across 21 primary schools.

The programme aims to inspire youngsters to identify their natural talents, believe in themselves and visualise a positive future. It builds on natural curiosity and shapes how children perceive the world they live and will eventually work in.

Louise Bassett, Chief Executive Officer at Gentoo Group, said: “It’s great to see the impact our partnership with Positive Footprints has had on children across the city.

“We’re delighted we can continue to deliver this programme with Positive Footprints,  and we’re really looking forward to seeing how the additional funding can inspire the future generations over the course of the next year.”

As part of the programme, children learn vital employability skills by discovering their unique qualities and skills in CV writing and preparing for an interview.

Jo Norwood, Customer Relationship Manager at Positive Footprints, said, “Pupils across Sunderland are benefitting from our fantastic partnership with Gentoo to raise aspirations. We’re thrilled that together we can open up the world of work for children and young people and shape a brighter future for them.”

We will work with Positive Footprints over the next year to deliver the programme to 20 primary schools and five secondary schools in Sunderland.

We were awarded over £21,000 of Social Value Dividend funding from our procurement partner, Prosper to fund the programme for the next year.

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