The world of work is changing rapidly with advances in technology, science, and society. Many jobs that exist today didn’t exist 5 years ago—think about roles like Social Media Manager, AI Ethics Consultant, or Drone Operator. In this challenge, you will step into the future and create a brand-new job that could exist in 10-20 years!
Your Task:
Your challenge is to research emerging trends and invent a new job role that doesn’t exist yet but could be needed in the future. You will then create a short video or written pitch explaining your idea.
Challenge Guidelines:
- Research Future Trends
- Explore industries like technology, healthcare, sustainability, space exploration, artificial intelligence, or entertainment.
- Consider global challenges such as climate change, automation, ageing populations, or new scientific discoveries.
- Think about what jobs might be needed in response to these changes.
- Create Your Future Job Profile - Your profile should include:
- Job Title – Be creative!
- Industry – Where would this job exist?
- Job Description – What does this job involve? What tasks would someone in this role do daily?
- Skills & Qualifications – What skills and knowledge would someone need? Would they need a degree or special training?
- Why This Job Matters – Explain how this job will help society, businesses, or individuals in the future.
- Present Your Idea - Choose one of the following formats for your submission:
- Video Pitch (1-2 minutes) – Record yourself explaining your job idea. You can include visuals, props, or slides.
- Written Pitch (200-300 words) – Write a compelling description of your job, including all key points.
Judging Criteria:
Your submission will be evaluated on:
✅ Creativity – How original and imaginative is your idea?
✅ Relevance – How well does your job connect to future trends?
✅ Clarity – How well do you explain your job role and why it’s important?
✅ Presentation – Is your pitch engaging, well-structured, and clear?
Submission Details:
Deadline: March 10th 5:00pm
How to Submit: Email your submissions to the Director of Learning at F4S at ella.lee-reynolds@founders4schools.org.uk
Prize: Win up to a £50 gift card
Now, it’s your turn to predict the future! 🚀
We are thrilled to introduce Ignite 🏴 - an exciting learning series designed to inspire and empower young people across Scotland. Ignite is designed for S1-S6 and is open to all students, nationwide.
Scotland is full of potential innovators. Our goal is to reinvent the image of an entrepreneur for those who may not believe it’s for them - and show that anyone can do it!
We’ll hear from speakers who started businesses while still in school, and others who came to it later in life. We’ll hear from people turning hobbies into profitable enterprises, and warriors addressing important social issues.
For example, we’ll meet Amee Ritchie, the co-founder of S’wheat Bottle, who started her plant-based water bottle business to help combat plastic waste, and Joe Donald, who created TripTix out of frustration over the hassle of booking tickets to see football teams play abroad.
We’re creating a movement that connects real-life entrepreneurs to young dreamers! ⭐️
Our recorded interviews are here to spark curiosity in young people whilst providing them with tangible role models who have lived and experienced a similar upbringing.
Do your students have an interest in starting a brand? Are you looking for free resources for your class? Then, Ignite 🏴 can help you engage and inspire your students.
This programme is completely free for Scottish schools, thanks to the support of the Scottish Government Entrepreneurial Education Pathways Fund.
Each episode will explore exciting topics such as technology, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and more, with a focus on unleashing Scotland’s brightest minds and helping them succeed in business. ⭐
Don't miss out on our 8-week learning series and sign up today 🙂
What can I expect?
We know how busy you are, so we’ve created a programme that’s highly flexible to fit it into your teaching schedule and run at your own pace.
Each week, you’ll receive a new module that includes:
- Engaging video content that puts the spotlight on a real-life entrepreneur who has turned their passions into a successful business
- An adaptable lesson plan
- An easy-to-administer Student Challenge
- CPD resources
- Certification after participating in at least 6 of our challenges
How long do sessions last?
The lessons are designed to be 50 minutes. They're fully flexible, so you can adapt them to fit your time and needs.
Get involved and help unleash a new generation of entrepreneurs! 📖
In today's uncertain landscape, social impact is valued by investors, demanded by employees, sought after by customers, and will strengthen our economy. At F4S, we are proud to align our mission with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our commitment to empowering individuals, enhancing education, and fostering economic growth directly supports these global objectives:
SDG1: No Poverty
DB supplying skills to Small businesses, social enterprises, charities and F4S upskilling schools mean livelihoods are saved - from those employed to the populations they serve
SDG2: Zero Hunger
By helping small businesses, charities and schools and upskill and recruit more easily, the most vulnerable populations of society can be saved from uncertainties over basic sustenance
SDG3: Good health & Well-being
By connecting volunteers who want to help and organisations who need help in times of crisis, F4S fosters improved mental wellbeing for all by drawing on the power of community using the power of Ai
SDG4: Quality Education
Through initiatives such as Digital Boost, Sustainable Futures, and Maths4Girls, we provide access to high-quality educational resources and real-world experiences. These develop essential skills, broaden career perspectives, and prepare teachers, SME workforces and students for success.
SDG 5: Gender Equality
Women make up ⅔ of the UK’s voluntary sector workforce, and women in business & teachers in schools are historically under-supported. More than 50% of the people DB serves identify as female. 100% of the people served by Maths4Girls are female.
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Slow adoption of technology and modern practices contributes to a loss of £100B in GDP.*
Facilitating the upskilling of teachers, students, charities and small businesses, contributes to the development of a skilled workforce leading to economic growth.
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure A functioning and resilient infrastructure is the foundation of every successful community:
Our innovative platform provides free sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructure for mentoring, workshops and assemblies to help people learn and grow regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability or socioeconomic background providing a better foundation for economic development and human well-being.
SGD 10: Reduced Inequalities
Under-investment in digital has led to a 82% productivity gap between small and large businesses. Digital Boost helps to unlock the full potential of small organisations and their workforces, reducing the gap. F4S is dedicated to ensuring that students from all backgrounds have equal access to career guidance and educational resources. Our partnerships with corporates help young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds gain skills and internships which accelerates their careers.
SDG 13: Climate change is a real and undeniable threat to our entire civilization.
F4S services remove 95% of the time and eliminates 100% of cost to teachers so that students meet people working in roles protecting our planet. This improves education, raises awareness and increases institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Collaboration is at the heart of our approach. We work closely with educators, corporate partners, local governments, and volunteers to achieve our impact. These partnerships strengthen the fabric of our communities by equipping students and SME workforces with future-focused skills and knowledge, contributing to the long-term sustainability and vitality of local economies.
F4S, an independent UK charity operating in Scotland since 2017 and in England since 2015, providing educators with access to volunteer role models who share their career journeys with young people. As part of the Scottish Government’s support for the future workforce, F4S connects businesses with education to inspire and prepare young people aged 6–25 for the job market. By showcasing real-world examples of career pathways, the charity helps improve employability and life chances.
Through career talks and workshops, students gain insights into various industries, helping bridge the gap between education and employment. F4S plays a vital role in addressing skills gaps and promoting career opportunities in key sectors like technology and engineering.
In Scotland, F4S works with 221 schools and facilitated over 240,000 encounters with employers, reaching more than 100,000 pupils.
F4S and OakNorth Bank are dedicated to stimulating economic growth by enhancing the talent pipeline from disadvantaged backgrounds to growing businesses.
The OakNorth Powered Program redefines traditional career-acceleration methods. Utilizing the F4S platform, we integrated scale-up business role models and university ambassadors in classrooms, along with virtual assemblies, interactive workshops, and internships. This innovative approach cultivates new ways of thinking among teachers and students alike.
Leveraging OakNorth's commitment of 1% profit plus 1% staff volunteering time, along with the platforms and expertise of F4S, Superpower and Digital Boost, we developed a highly innovative and deeply transformative program. We are on track to equip 100,000 students with the essential career insights, skills, and mindset needed to seize opportunities in STEM fields.
Costing less than a cup of coffee per student (per annum), programmes like these provide a brighter future for disadvantaged individuals across the UK enhancing the talent pipeline to businesses nationwide.
In the first year of the programme, educators in Bristol, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle showcased 220 of our volunteers working in AI, design and gaming to 30,000 students
The mission of Maths4Girls is to increase the % of girls choosing to study maths post-16 (GCSEs).
Research has shown a majority of UK Girls drop Maths after GCSEs, cutting off their future career opportunities and depriving employers of the skills of almost half the population. Maths4Girls’ goal is to enrich the pool of talent available to businesses across the UK that rely on mathematical skills. We do this by inspiring girls to explore the myriad of career possibilities that mathematics offers.
Our approach involves close collaboration with educators and businesses to both support and champion role models who must use mathematics to thrive in their careers. These volunteer role models engage with students through captivating talks, showcasing the practical applications of maths tailored to educational context of 11-14 year old girls.
This enhances the girls future career options and provides employers with a larger pool of skilled employees which addresses the skills crisis and stimulates economic growth.
The evidence speaks from the programme speaks volumes. Research shows that a single encounter with a Maths4Girls role model yields significant benefits:
- A 10% surge in confidence in one's mathematical abilities.
- A 19% increase in awareness of the potential of mathematics.
- A 21% boost in the desire to pursue math-related career paths.
What do educators say?
"The M4G session has had a positive effect on pupil engagement; our students now ask about Maths-related careers in their lessons." Head of Maths, The Hemel Hempstead School
“Changing the culture towards Maths (particularly amongst females) is one of the most effective levers we can use to improve attainment and outcomes for students across the UK.” Colin Dimmick, Lead Teacher of Mathematics, Arden Academy, Solihull
“Moments like these live on in our pupils' memories and will influence their future choices” Omar Qureshi, Head of Maths, Selly Park Girls’ School, Birmingham
100% of volunteers recommend it
“I volunteer as a role model for Maths4Girls because I remember what it was like to be a girl and not really understand what I could do with maths.” Sophie Carr, Bays Consulting Ltd
“An alumna visited my school to talk about her career in banking… it was super exciting because it opened my mind to the type of jobs that use Maths skills” Allison Aitken, Allianz Global Investors
“I wish I had more female role models when I was at school. I'm a big believer in "If you can see it, you can dream it.”Shauneen McBirney, CIBC.
Due to requests from the teachers who use our platform, guidance from our Academic Steering Committee and enthusiasm from our partner the Careers & Enterprise Company, we piloted a Special Educational Needs (SEN) programme to showcase the diverse career opportunities available to people with disabilities and who had SEN when they were teens.
We delivered five “virtual assemblies” featuring speakers with various neurodivergent conditions, including Autism, ADHD, Traumatic brain injury and Dyslexia.
Each speaker followed the proven F4S script, which boosts understanding of the importance of maths and other universal skills for careers building confidence in students' abilities. After their talk, speakers were prompted by the host to reveal their neurodiversity. The primary goal was to captivate students with the speakers' impressive careers and then reveal their neurodivergence, rather than focusing on it from the outset.
By presenting real-life success stories, the programme empowers SEN students to recognise their potential and pursue their dreams with confidence and enthusiasm. Through this initiative, we committed to fostering an inclusive environment where every student can envision and work towards a fulfilling and successful future.
At F4S, maintaining the quality of support we provide to educators and students is critical to our mission. One of the key tools we use to monitor and ensure this quality is the Net Promoter Score (NPS) system. By collecting feedback directly from mentees, we can track and assess the quality of volunteers, courses, and workshops available on our platform.
What is NPS and How Does F4S Use It?
NPS is a valuable system that helps us gauge the likelihood of a educator recommending a volunteer, workshop, or course to others. After each encounter, educators are asked to rate their experience, which then informs the recommendations and opportunities given to volunteers.
Educator Ratings and Their Impact on Volunteer Recommendations
Volunteers who consistently receive high ratings are rewarded with additional opportunities, such as invitations to host virtual assemblies or being recommended to other educators. Conversely, volunteers who consistently receive low ratings are not invited to host virtual assemblies, and we stop recommending them to educators.
Feedback on Volunteers at F4S
At F4S, we value all feedback, which is why we collect it systematically through a post-session survey.
Feedback of 9 or 10 is rated as a ‘promoter’
This increases the likelihood that we’ll recommend the volunteer to other educators. It also opens up opportunities for the volunteer to host virtual assemblies on the subject. Feedback provided by educators is anonymised (at their request) and shared with the volunteer after they have completed four sessions to maintain the confidentiality of the user.
Feedback of <6 is classified as a ‘detractor’
This decreases the likelihood that we recommend this volunteer to educators or invited to host virtual assemblies. As with promoters, feedback is shared anonymously with the volunteer, and it’s made available in their dashboard after completing four mentoring sessions.
Accountability for “No Shows”
F4S maintains a strict accountability system, ensuring that both volunteers and educators adhere to our guidelines.
Educators who fail to show up for scheduled encounters are given two warnings before being temporarily paused from access to self-serve. However, they will still have access to virtual assemblies and workshops.
Volunteers who miss scheduled sessions are also given two warnings before being temporarily paused from hosting encounters.
Appeals Process for “No Shows”
We understand that there may be legitimate reasons for no-shows, such as health issues or personal conflicts, so F4S has implemented an appeals process. If a no-show occurs due to unforeseen circumstances, educators and volunteers can appeal to have their account reinstated, allowing us to maintain a fair and flexible approach.
At F4S, we’re committed to upholding high service standards for our educators, volunteers, and students. Our NPS system plays a vital role in ensuring that we consistently deliver quality support and create an environment that fosters positive, productive relationships. By using feedback to drive improvements, we can maintain a high level of accountability and continually provide the best possible experiences for all users.
In England, careers guidance has in the past been patchy, not always reaching those most in need. Against this background, the Gatsby Foundation created a framework of eight guidelines that define the best careers provision for schools and colleges.
“94% of Careers Leaders believe that the Gatsby Benchmarks have helped to improve career guidance” Careers and Enterprise Company, Careers Lead Report.
To ensure our student-employer encounters have a long-lasting impact. F4S has designed our service based on these eight benchmarks.
- A stable careers programme:
Our digital platform enables time-poor education to create a structured careers programme quickly and simply. We provide educators with clear guidance on the types of events they can book and, using smart algorithms, make recommendations on which speakers and volunteers will have the most impact. - Learning from career and labour market information:
We enable educators to discover the latest growing companies and industries in their local communities by simply entering their postcode. As such we give students and educators live labour market information in their pocket.
- Addressing the needs of each pupil:
With our advanced filtering system, we put control of the student-employer encounters firmly in the hands of the educator, ensuring they can select the speakers who are best suited to inspire their students. Educators can filter by industry, gender, race, company revenue and growth.
- Linking curriculum learning to careers:
We encourage all educators to bring their subject to life with Student-Employer-Encounters. Our machine learning algorithms remember educators' preferences and recommend talks based on subject areas.
- Encounters with Employers and Employees:
Our service connects children and young people directly with business leaders from their local communities. Our digital platform recommends a varied programme of career encounters including career talks, speed mentoring, enterprise activities and workplace visits, all of which are available to book instantly through our platform.
- Experiences of workplaces:
F4S enables educators to book workplace visits for their students with ease. Educators can simply request workplace visits and we can contact local, high-growth businesses to host.
- Encounters with further and higher education:
We enable educators to connect with a wide range of employers and employees who can speak to young people about their career paths. By providing a diverse perspective on how they have approached their careers, students will be able to understand the different academic and vocational routes that are available to them. - Personal guidance:
Using our clever digital platform, F4S is able to take into consideration the individual needs of education and students. This means we can guide them towards encounter types and potential speakers to ensure they have the greatest impact.
At Meldrum Academy, Mrs. Simone Coetser organised an insightful online career event for her students as part of their Level 4 - Steps to Work curriculum. This initiative was aimed at helping students understand the importance of soft skills, a crucial element for success in the workplace.
How the Event Worked
After attending an F4S Webinar designed to support educators in delivering career education, Mrs. Coetser booked a session with F4S). The event was hosted via Teams and lasted for 30 minutes, with two speakers each delivering a 10-minute talk followed by a Q&A session. Students participated actively, asking questions both verbally and through the chat function. One standout question asked was: “What advice would you give to your younger self?”
The Impact
The students gained valuable insights into what makes an employee stand out. The speakers provided clear examples and shared tips on interview preparation, what employers look for, and how to present oneself professionally. The students particularly appreciated one speaker’s use of a PowerPoint, which helped them better understand the information being shared.
The session helped learners understand the importance of providing concrete examples that demonstrate their skills, which will be crucial when completing their skills profiles and preparing for their mock interviews.
Mrs. Coetser shared her appreciation for the support F4S provided in setting up the event and assisting with preparation. She described the process as “relatively easy” and was excited to share the experience with her colleagues. The event’s success has sparked her interest in organising similar events for other classes.
Key Takeaways
The key messages from the event were clear: flexibility, a positive attitude, and a willingness to learn are essential in today’s ever-changing job market. The students also learned that jobs evolve over time—what exists today may not have existed 20 years ago. The event also emphasised the importance of asking for help and taking responsibility for one’s actions.
This event gave Meldrum Academy students the tools and understanding they need to succeed in their future careers, and Mrs. Coetser is excited to continue providing these opportunities for her students.