Birmingham Future initiative targets students and young professionals

BPS Birmingham Future, the networking organisation for Birmingham’s business and professional services sector, has launched an initiative to try and connect students, young professionals and senior leaders.

The Future Mentoring Academy is the brainchild of current Birmingham Future chair, Rebecca Simkiss. The academy is intended to build on the success of the existing Aspire Mentoring and Future Mentoring schemes run by Future.

Aspire Mentoring gives students the opportunity to learn from a Future member working in the BPS sector and Future Mentoring gives members of Future the chance to be supported by one of the city’s senior leaders.

“Mentoring has had a major impact on my personal career journey, so it is naturally something very close to my heart,” said Ms Simkiss.

“I believe that mentoring lies at the very core of what Future stands for. Our two mentoring schemes bring together aspiring, emerging and established leaders, as individuals who can learn from each other, be inspired by each other and most importantly, be a place for support and the vital port of call that we all need from time to time to in our working lives.

“This is a great way to nurture and retain our young talent, develop the leaders of tomorrow, and engage senior leaders to share their unrivalled experience.”

Ms Simkiss, who is Joint Managing Director of SimkissGuy Recruitment, is using her tenure at BPS to focus on development, leadership and mentoring, having previously chaired Future’s Development Committee and been part of the Future Mentoring scheme.

Leaning on the experience of inspiring professionals working in the city, a launch event heard from a number of speakers including Anthony McCourt, who won Birmingham Young Professional of the Year in 2008 and is still the youngest ever overall winner of Future’s flagship awards. Having worked as a solicitor at Wragge & Co, he moved into property and worked on high profile projects including The Mailbox and The Cube, before setting up Court Collaboration in 2012.

He said: “I owe Future a real debt in helping shape and build my own career; right back from when I was on a committee, to winning BYPY and beyond. Future can play a critical and career-boosting role for every member, if they use the resources it has.  Mentoring is about recognising and engaging the resource pool we have in Birmingham and therefore, to join and be a part of the Academy is a smart career decision for all. I may not be where I am now if it wasn’t for the advice of my mentor.”

Aspire Mentoring is for college and university students, over the age of 18, and members of BPS Birmingham Aspire who can apply to receive a mentor who is a member of Future. Alongside this, members of Future can also take part in the Future Mentoring scheme, which matches them with one of the city’s senior leaders.

Both schemes sit as part of the Future Mentoring Academy and students and mentors will be matched during the next intake in April.