If you are a student attending a state-funded school or college in England and curious about your professional potential, post-16 or post-18, then we would love to hear from you!
Register to become part of our student network!
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 nice 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.
Privacy notice: https://www.dartmouthpartners.com/privacy-policy/
We take the privacy of your personal data seriously. We understand that the information you trust us with is important to you. We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. Our legal basis for the processing of personal data is our legitimate interests, although we will also rely on contractual obligations to which you are subject, legal obligations and consent for specific uses of data.
The UK GDPR provides you with the right to: request correction; request erasure; object to processing request restriction of processing; request transfer of your personal information to another party; and make a complaint to a supervisory body.
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: foundation@dartmouthpartners.com
Opportunities available
Join the Classroom to Boardroom Foundation before October 20th 2023, 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!
EVENT ONE: Apprenticeship Process Top-Tips, Zoom webinar October 24th, 18:00 -19:00.
Join a panel of recent 6th-form students who will share their real experience of balancing their apprenticeship application, UCAS, and A-levels to help you on your journey. This registration will give you free mentorship access after the webinar as you prepare an application for apprenticeships. You can opt-out at any time.
Who is this network for
- We welcome students aged between 15 and 19 years attending any state-funded schools across England.
What to expect
- As a member of our student network you will have direct access to virtual and in-person events. These events focus on industry-specific access and employability skills development.
- To ensure you have the best possible opportunity to succeed, all opportunities sent to you will be directly relevant to your school year and interests, you will also have a option to later join our alumni network.
- You will have access to a mentor (on request) who can help you with your understanding your interests and employability skills, personal-professional brand and support you with application preparation.
- This network will give you access to exclusive sessions, such as summer events and a 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.
| Applications open | 9:00am GMT, 04 September 2023 |
| Applications close | 11:59pm GMT, 29 February 2024 |
| Disciplines accepted | All subjects selections accepted. |
”The High Potential programme has been profoundly insightful and impactful on my career decisions, providing me with invaluable guidance and opportunities while simultaneously honing my skills to excel in my chosen career.”
Abdul, 2023 Awardee
Why Apply
You will come out of this programme with the confidence and skill set to take the next step in your education and the first steps after 6th form and into a career-positive future.
What you will get!
Our parent company Kernel Global (including Dartmouth Partners, Pure Search and the Classroom to Boardroom Foundation) is the main sponsor of the award. For you, this means access to a large network of professionals with a wide range of backgrounds, career journeys and specialisms. For the duration of the programme (April 2024 to April 2025) you will have:
- Your own mentor will be part of the Dartmouth Partners Early Careers team. They will work with you to schedule regular mentoring sessions, from broad career coaching to creating a bespoke, goal-driven programme just for you.
- Multiple introductory sessions with members of the wider Kernel team and our client and candidate network. We can arrange an excursion to “The City” to introduce you to the financial hub of Europe (or perhaps get to know the city a bit better if you’re already familiar!).
- Financial support totalling £1000 per student which you can use to support your professional profile. This might include equipping you with professional attire so you’re interview-ready when the time comes, covering costs associated with courses to boost your financial knowledge, as well as a travel budget allocated for university visits.
What to expect in the application process
Step 1. Check your eligibility
You are eligible and will be considered for this scholarship if:
- You are currently a year 12 student attending a non-fee paying school;
- You are curious about a career in finance or professional services, no experience or subject selection is required.
You must also match any two of the following:
- You currently in receipt of, or have previously received free school meals (other forms of financial assistance are considered);
- You attend(ed) a secondary school with 35% free school meal eligibility (once we know your school, we can check this for you);
- Living in a household where no parent or guardian attended university (in the UK, Europe, or America).
Please note: Some exceptions may be made as applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and mentorship is available to all students who attend a school partner of ours. If in doubt about you eligibility reach out to us via email at <ctbfoundation@kernel-global.com>
If you are not eligible but attend a non-fee-paying school, join our next work as we have lots of other opportunities available.
Step 2. If you are eligible apply.
Complete four application that help us understand you goals and motivations for the programme. There is no need to submit a CV as we will support you with this.
If you are not- you can join our ongoing student network and mentorship programme!
Step 3. You will be invited to a short video interview
On review of your eligibility and application questions 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 application answers and aims to help us get to know how you work and learn a little more. Interviews are due to take place in January-February. We will schedule you interview to match you availability.
Step 4. You will receive the outcome of your application
All applicants will learn the outcome of their application by March 2024 and will be guided through next steps and feedback appropriately.
| Applications open | 9:00am GMT, 17 November 2023 |
| Applications close | 11:59pm GMT, 07 January 2024 |
| Disciplines accepted | Any subject selection |
“Well-organised and insightful, enjoyable, kind staff, unparalleled to any other work experience, fulfilling, a wonderful learning experience in finance, incredibly enriching,
invaluable insight.”
Descriptions of Investing Potential, 2023 Alumni
Why Apply
You will come out of this programme with confidence in managing an application process and with an in-depth knowledge of what a career in an investment firm looks like, the different opportunities, and the routes you can take to achieve an exciting and rewarding career in the asset management sector.
What you will get!
- The programme sponsor firms, Pemberton, Ardian, Arcmont, Bridgepoint, LGT, Blackrock, and Barings are offering 20 work experience positions for students in Year 12 who demonstrate an aptitude for investing.
- 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.
- If you are successful in securing your spot on this programme, you will enter the workplace for four days during the second week of your Easter break. You will spend three days in one of the Asset Management firms, and one day at a careers masterclass hosted by specialists from Dartmouth Partners and the Kernel team.
- 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.
What to expect in the application process
Step 1. Submit your application
Simply submit you application as a register of interest with us to kick start you application. If you have any questions about the programme or application process, please reach out to us via email at <ctbfoundation@kernel-global.com>.
There is no need to submit a CV at this point as we will support you create your CV before your interview. This support will range between small group sessions.
Step 2. Complete the Investment Task
You will be sent an Investment brief that will include the story of a company looking for investment. For this task you will conduct further research into the company you are assigned and complete a S.W.O.T analysis as a 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 after your application submission.
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 how you work and learn a little more.
Interviews are due to take place in January-February. We will schedule you interview to match you availability.
Step 4. You will receive the outcome of your application and feedback
All applicants will learn the outcome of their application by mid-March 2024 and will be guided through next steps and feedback appropriately.
Next steps may include, CV review, investment terminology briefing and team introductions.
| Applications open | 9:00am GMT, 24 November 2023 |
| Applications close | 11:59pm GMT, 21 January 2024 |
| Start date | 8th April 2024 |
| Disciplines accepted | Any degree accepted (2:1 minimum) |