Member Spotlight: The Talent Foundry
Date published:
This week we caught up with the team at the education charity to find out how they’re going further with Chamber membership.
Where are you based?
We are hybrid and work across schools, colleges, and businesses across the North East.
How many employees do you have?
We have 20 people in our team!
Give us a brief overview of your business.
The Talent Foundry is a UK education charity improving social mobility by helping young people from underserved communities discover what they are amazing at, develop valuable new employment skills and take their first step into the world of work or higher education.
We offer curriculum and industry-linked employability workshops to disadvantaged schools, working with industry partners including Barclays LifeSkills, Dell Technologies, M&G plc, the NHS and Network Rail amongst many others.
All our programmes are co-created with our partners and delivered to young people by professional facilitators who have a wealth of experience.
We support over 60,000 young people each year to think big about their futures.
In the North East, we are especially proud of our partnerships with the Tees Valley Combined Authority – through our Dell Technologies programme and the IgniteTees initiative– and with Middlesbrough Council – as part of our Skills for Life programme with M&G plc.
Tell us about a recent business success.
In 2024 The Talent Foundry was nominated for 10 different industry awards for our innovative and impactful work bringing disadvantaged young people together with businesses across the UK.
We were delighted that two of our nominations were for programmes with a specific focus in the North East – our partnership with Dell Technologies, and our partnership with M&G plc and Middlesbrough Council.
You can watch our video to find out about our partnership with Dell Technologies and Teesside University: https://youtu.be/EzSUbSpPpP0
You can watch our video about our partnership with Middlesbrough Council and M&G plc here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLgZjnAfVfw
How has being a Chamber member impacted your growth and networking opportunities?
We are new members to the Chamber but we have worked across the North East for over 15 years, harnessing the power and the potential of business to support disadvantaged young people build their skills, develop their aspirations and get ready for the world of work.
Our programmes focus on showcasing the potential of young people and businesses in the North-East—and you can help! We have two opportunities to offer local businesses:
Join one of our workshops as an industry volunteer to inspire young people to build local careers by sharing your expertise. It’s easy, requires no prep, and connects you to a diverse talent pipeline.
Secondly, we want to hear from people with a genuine interest in helping young people from underserved communities build their skills and discover what they’re amazing at. We’d love to have a conversation about partnership opportunities and how we might work together to make a real difference to young people in the North East.
We have a few following opportunities coming up below too:
Dell Powering Potential – Dell Technologies – Volunteer Sign-Up Form 2024 – 25
Date: 05.02.25
Venue: British Esports (Sunderland)
Time: 9:30-14:30
M&G Skills for Life – https://zfrmz.com/LCerctQWjUHFXvdkIby7
| Session | Date | Venue | Times |
| 1 | 22 January | Riverside Stadium – Middlehaven Suite | 9:30 – 14:00 |
| 2 | 13 February | AV Dawson, Port of Middlesbrough | 9:30 – 14:00 |
| 3 | 11 March | The Hub, Teesside University, Middlesbrough | 9:30 – 14:00 |
| 4 | 3 April | Riverside Stadium, Legends Room | 9:30 – 14:00 |
Where can we find you?
You can visit our website: www.talentfoundry.org.uk or on our socials below: