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The Privilege of Being an Enterprise Adviser
Privilege is not a word I have ever really had a personal association with, however I can truthfully say I feel privileged being an Enterprise Adviser. My journey to the Enterprise Advisor role to New Road Academy, Telford was very much inspired by my own journey and background. I made it my mission to seek out and work with a local school with at least 50% of the students receiving Free School meals. I knew that a school in this context, careers education is not ‘nice to have’ it can be genuinely lifechanging.
For many students particularly with Social Mobility markers, the workplace can feel distant and inaccessible. Students may not have family members or networks who they can associate with professional environments, explain career pathways, or provide informal guidance. As an Enterprise Adviser, I have the chance to help make these worlds visible and accessible by sharing my own journey with the students.
Work experience is one of the most powerful ways to bridge the gaps between students and employers, however work experience and modern workplaces have moved on since the pandemic. At Fujitsu I have led the trialling different approaches to work experience making it accessible to as many students as possible. One of our recent work experience events was Escape Room ‘esque’, giving the students will real workplace and business challenges to solve. Our approach allows young people to step into a professional setting, build confidence, and see themselves as capable contributors rather than distant observers on the sidelines.
Mock interviews are another vital workplace engagement, for some students, this is their first experience of speaking about themselves, their strengths, and their aspirations in a relatively formal setting. These sessions are not about perfection; they are about practice, encouragement, and experiencing nerves and then normalising nerves. Watching students grow in confidence—sometimes within the space of a single conversation—is one of the most rewarding aspects of the role.
What makes my collaboration with New Road Academy truly meaningful is the consistency of my engagement. Turning up, building trust, and showing students that professionals are willing to invest time and truly believe in them sends a powerful message: no matter where you start off in life doesn’t determine where you end up and you matter, and your future matters. For students facing additional barriers, the message of hope in some cases can be transformative.
Being an Enterprise Adviser is not about having all the answers, it's about access, engaging and creating meaningful employer interactions for young people.
The job you do doesn’t matter, it’s the interaction with the students, this is the part to potentially change their outcomes. The opportunity to help bridge the gap between education and the world of work I find is humbling, hugely motivating and rewarding. Supporting New Road where the challenges are real and the need is great - is my huge privilege and one that I can recommend to all.
About the campaign
In our pursuit to shape a more equitable future, our March TechTogether campaign will focus on supporting the next generation by joining the National Careers Week campaign, empowering women in tech, advancing equity by design, and evolving the landscape of online safety.
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