Halfon to launch LegUp Campaign: A good mentor can be instrumental in unlocking a young person’s potential

#LegUpCampaign asks people who are in employment to help just one person into work 

With the Chancellor @RishiSunak’s #Furlough Job Support Scheme due to be phased out within a matter of days, the latest @ONS unemployment figures reveal the fastest ever rise in redundancies, on top of crushing levels of unemployment.

Long time supporter of the benefits of one-to-one mentoring, Chair of the Education Select Committee, Robert Halfon MP is planning to roll out a national mentoring scheme to offer a “Leg Up” to individuals who have found themselves out of work, or facing redundancy.

Employability expert Ronel Lehman is keen to collaborate with Halfon to help volunteers who are in employment offer their support by mentoring someone who is currently out of work, or has no previous experience of the workplace.

Ronel Lehmann, Founder and Chief Executive, Finito, said:

“With the pandemic set to continue into 2021, and a hard winter ahead, we need to think about others more than ever before. In 2020, if you’re in employment you’re one of the lucky ones. But no man is an island, and now is not the time to rest on our good fortune.

“At Finito, we believe passionately in the value of one-to-one mentoring. Now we are asking the country to become mentors. Our LegUp campaign asks people who are in employment to help just one person into work.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a CEO or someone lower down in your organisation, there’s always a way to do your bit. It could be an introduction, a Zoom, or a just a supportive conversation – it all makes a difference when you’re out of a job and wondering how you’ll ever find your way back to the dignity of a salary, and the greater sense of purpose that comes with work.

“We are proud to pair with Robert Halfon, the Chair of the Education Select Committee, in this important initiative”.

Speaking about the importance of mentoring Robert Halfon said:

“We want a country that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.

“A good mentor can be instrumental in unlocking a young person’s potential and [this] will help more young people benefit from that, ensuring they are climbing the ladder of opportunity and that there is no limit on their ambition.

“Mentoring helps improve focus and attainment, raises aspirations and provides valuable support – especially for those who are underachieving or at risk of dropping out of education.”

Expressing his views on a national mentoring programme, Lee Elliot Major OBE, Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter, has said:

“It could be possible to create a more formal mentoring programme which could be part of a national service, whereby senior people could champion people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“At the moment, they feel lost in the culture of the industry. For instance, I know a lot of people around the creative industries. At the moment, it doesn’t matter how talented you are, you’re struggling to progress in the early career phase.

“The cultural assumptions can be quite alienating if you’re not a part of that: if you’re outside London, it can be hard to get into London.”