Supporting young people realise their potential

At Landsec we create sustainable places, one way that we do this is to use our skills, resources, and people to provide opportunities to address social inequalities. A big part of this is our work to support young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds into careers in our industry. We want to give equal access to opportunities for young people from all backgrounds, bringing more diverse talent into our business and sector.

In April this year, we worked with the Diverse Leaders Network to launch a 12-week virtual mentoring programme for young people aged 16-18 years in Southwark. Diverse Leaders Network is a social enterprise that develops the next generation of leaders from diverse backgrounds. We set this mentoring programme up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic’s significant impact on young people’s aspirations and opportunities.

“It has been an incredibly positive and unique way for the Landsec mentors to develop their own leadership skills and gain different perspectives by working with (and learning from) young people in our communities, who are underrepresented in senior levels of our business. We worked with a very motivated and committed group of young women who didn’t previously have access to leaders from diverse backgrounds. We would love to see the group of mentees progressing into future careers at Landsec."

Emily McEleny

Social Sustainability Manager

Over the course of 12 weeks, 16 Landsec mentors worked 1:1 with female students from diverse backgrounds aged 16-18, to increase their confidence, career awareness, leadership abilities, aspirations, and access to industry professionals. The weekly mentoring sessions covered goal setting, influencing, overcoming challenges, growth mindset, respect, finding your voice and getting ready for the world of work, all of which aimed to redefine how the mentees perceive leadership. This was also a great opportunity for our Landsec mentors to develop their inclusive leadership qualities and benefit from gaining fresh perspectives from their mentees. 

“I have become more confident in what I want to do in the future especially the next steps. As well as leadership skills where I am able to identify that I can to listen to other people's opinions and add my own ideas to add value. Moreover, I learnt more about the career I want to do."

Mentee

 
100% 

students said they felt more prepared for the labour market

 
100% 

students reported an increase in confidence

The programme has provided a great opportunity for us at Landsec to have a positive impact on young people from diverse backgrounds creating opportunities for them to realise their potential. 

“The mentoring programme has been a fantastic experience that I'm proud to have been a part of. The conversations with my mentee were collaborative and meaningful and helped me to reflect on my own strengths and weaknesses along with hopefully helping my mentee to progress. "

Mentor