Who are we
We are the Classroom to Boardroom Foundation, and we support students aged 15 to 19 years to access an equal start to achieving their professional potential. We are a social mobility initiative developed by an award-winning financial and professional services recruitment group, Kernel.
Why we exist
Private schools have greater funding and capacity to offer opportunities to students compared to state-funded schools. Traditionally, this translates into a non-diverse workforce across some of the most exciting careers, such as banking and finance.
The Classroom to Boardroom Foundation was created by Kernel to tackle this disparity, and provide support and equal access to students who may not have an existing pathway into the professional world.
It’s about your potential, right? Absolutely right!
What we can do for you
We are recruiters and we think like recruiters! We are often the first gatekeepers you will meet when applying for a job, whether an apprenticeship, internship, graduate role and even for senior roles. This means we know what employers are looking for in their hires and we can help you understand this too.
We will support you to access the professional world through direct opportunities offered by our clients, but also, we will help you to articulate your skills and competencies through your CV, application tasks, and how you present at interviews. This is all helpful for you regardless of your career interests.
Why not become a Foundation student member
As a social mobility focused platform, your school is the only eligibility factor, although some of our events may have more detailed social mobility criteria, such as Free School Meal eligibility.
If you or your parent/carer(s) have any questions, please contact: ctbfoundation@kernel-global.com
Please read our Privacy notice: https://www.dartmouthpartners.com/privacy-policy/
Note: We ask you to upload a CV if you already have one. If not, don’t worry! You can still apply without a CV and click on the Next button. You’re welcome to give it a try, and in our welcome email and call, we’ll provide you with a CV template and discuss how to improve it.
Opportunities available
Join the Classroom to Boardroom Foundation to access some of the most exciting industries to explore your career and build your confidence through mentorship with recruitment experts. Student membership is free of charge and is fully sponsored by our partnering firms and parent company Kernel. Simply apply today!
Who is this network for
- We welcome students aged between 15 and 19 years attending any state-funded schools across England.
What to expect
- Direct access to virtual and in-person, industry-specific access and employability skills events.
- All opportunities sent to you will be directly relevant to your school year and interests, you will also have an option to later join our alumni network.
- A mentor (on request) who can help you with understanding your interests and employability skills, personal-professional brand and support you with application preparation.
- Access to exclusive sessions, such as our post-18 transition programme of monthly insight and preparation sessions that are tailored to support you during year 13 and after.
- If you decide, at any time, that you would like to end your membership, you can with immediate effect. Please see your privacy policy here: https://www.dartmouthpartners.com/privacy-policy/
Next steps
Please read the privacy notice to ensure you are happy with how we will process your information. We encourage you to include a parent or guardian in this conversation. If you have any questions, please get in contact via the details below. If you are happy to proceed, please complete this application form. We expect the application to take less than 10 minutes. If you have any questions about why we ask specific questions please email us. You will receive a welcome email within two weeks of registering, where you will be invited to book an introductory call with our team. From there we will share opportunities and educational content relevant to you. Your continuous feedback is important to us to direct the content you receive.
Note: We ask you to upload a CV if you already have one. If not, don’t worry! You can still apply without a CV and click on the Next button. You’re welcome to give it a try, and in our welcome email and call, we’ll provide you with a CV template and discuss how to improve it.
| Applications open | 9:00am GMT, 01 August 2024 |
| Applications close | 11:59pm GMT, 31 July 2025 |
| Disciplines accepted | All subjects accepted. |
“The Investing potential programme has been amazing in demonstrating what working in Finance could be like and has helped to give me clarity over what career path I will choose in the future. Most importantly, it has helped build my confidence as I was able to meet and network with so many wonderful and interesting people in a professional setting“
Investing Potential, 2024 Alumni
What is the programme?
- Investment insight: The programme sponsor firms are offering 30 work experience positions for students in Year 12 who demonstrate an aptitude for investing.
- Application experience: By simply applying for this programme you will experience all of the critical components of a professional job application, including support and feedback from The Classroom to Boardroom Foundation on your application.
- 4-days work placement: If you are successful in securing your spot on this programme, you will enter the workplace for four days during the first week of your Easter break. You will spend three days with one of the Asset Management firm sponsors, and one day at a careers masterclass hosted by specialists from the Classroom to Boardroom Foundation team.
- Alumni network: On completing the programme, you will be invited to a growing alumni network so you can keep in contact with those whom you met and continue to apply and develop your new knowledge through workshops, events and long-term employment opportunities.
Why apply?
You will come out of this programme with confidence and an in-depth knowledge of what a career in an investment firm looks like, the different opportunities, an opportunity to expand your network, and the routes you can take to achieve an exciting and rewarding career in the asset management sector.
What to expect in the application process:
- Step 1. Submit your application: Simply submit your application as a register of interest with us to kick start your application. We ask two questions: 1) Why are you applying for the programme and 2) Why are you interested in Asset Management/Finance? If you have any questions about the programme or application process, please reach out to us via email at <ctbfoundation@kernel-global.com>.
Do not worry if you don’t have a CV at this stage! This will be an excellent experience to add to your CV and start building it out, but it is useful to have a structure at this point.
- Step 2. Complete the investment task You will be sent an investment brief that requires you to consider a company looking for investment of £10,000,000. For this task you will conduct further research into the company you are assigned and complete a S.W.O.T analysis framework to create a written decision on whether you will invest in the company or not. As part of this task, you will be guided to assess the wider market, risks and finances of the company to support your investment decision.
This task will be sent to you via email after your application submission. The deadline for this submission will be 2nd March at 23:59pm, however we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Please email your submission to ctbfoundation@kernel-global.com.
- Step 3. You will be invited to a short video interview: On review of your investment task and receipt of your CV we will invite you to an interview. This will be a 30-minute video interview with one of the CtBF team. This interview will be based on your task and motivations for exploring a career in investment. The interview aims to help us get to know you and how you work.
Interviews are due to take place from early February. We will schedule your interview to match your availability.
- Step 4. You will receive the outcome of your application and feedback: All applicants will receive the outcome of their application by mid-March 2025 and will be guided through next steps and feedback appropriately..
| Applications open | 9:00am GMT, 18 December 2024 |
| Applications close | 11:59pm GMT, 23 February 2025 |
| Disciplines accepted | N/A |