Developing Simmons & Simmons' Young Talent programme was challenging but worthwhile, says Colin Passmore

Many law firms have a tradition of supporting young people at local schools and colleges to access the world of work – and Simmons & Simmons is no different. Indeed, in recent years we have achieved some good results, but employee engagement has often been irregular, and working with several colleges has made it difficult to measure the impact of our programmes. 

We therefore decided 12 months ago to try to weave our social mobility programmes much more deeply into the firm's culture, aiming to inspire more volunteers to participate on an ongoing basis, but also to create a programme where we felt we were really making a small difference. 

Underpinning this aim was a wish to develop a longer-term relationship with the students and the schools we work with, and a new approach to school partnering. Teaming up with the Twist Partnership, we have begun an ambitious new programme with Frederick Bremer School in Walthamstow. This is a mixed, multi-faith school, with significantly above regional average numbers of students eligible for free school meals. It is also – deliberately – a school that is located in a London borough outside the usual catchment area for City businesses.

Opening doors

The thrust of our new scheme is the desire to enable young people from state schools to succeed in higher education and in the world of work – whether legal or otherwise. To meet our PRIME commitments, we also knew that we wanted to offer at least 20 work placements of 35 hours each year. So, encouraged by Twist's creative approach to pupil and staff engagement, we have developed a programme that has had detailed input from staff, students and the school.

The result is that, between us, we have begun to develop an engaging Young Talent programme. Each year a group of year 10 students is selected, with input from the school as well as the firm, to be part of the programme. The programme consists of a series of activities and mentoring, including work experience, presentations, workshops and paid internships. 

We make a commitment to support these students for up to seven years: during years 10, 11, 12 and 13 while they are at school and college, and, if they decide to go on to university, the firm continues to provide ongoing mentoring and an opportunity for them to apply for a bursary from the firm's charitable foundation. Our ultimate aim is for these students to become role models in their own right and to inspire the next generation of Young Talent students. 

As the partner who heads our CR initiatives, I have 'championed' this programme from the beginning, but it wasn't until I started to interact with the students that I began to appreciate its impact. The first time I visited the school, I spoke to Year 10 students during a morning assembly. I regularly address the firm and our clients but presenting to the student year group was a surprisingly nerve-racking experience. 

I then met some of these students again during their work experience week with us. I dropped in to observe one of their workshops and from that point I was hooked, and gate-crashed a number of the other workshops they took part in. What really struck me was the students' inquisitive nature, their complete engagement in the programme and their desire to learn – I was bombarded with questions on how to prepare for presentations and how to embark upon a successful career. 

But overriding all this was the clear impression that we are helping to create an opportunity for the students to interact with a City institution, only a few miles from their school, that they felt would otherwise have been completely off limits to them. 

Equal footing

This programme has the potential to become much more than a local community project. Indeed, I hope we are on the road to establishing a unique scheme that places our staff and students on an equal footing, where it is not about the firm teaching the students how to behave or conform. Rather the students are encouraged to make a positive contribution to our organisation and many of the activities involve staff and students working together on a task in which neither party knows the answer.

As for the students, they have been truly inspirational to work with, and have clearly gained a great deal from the experience so far. Their feedback has highlighted increased confidence, higher aspirations and a greater awareness of the career opportunities and skills required in the legal profession. This short video from a recent work experience visit probably sums this up better than I can: http://bit.ly/10GqULb.

Positive impact

The benefits go two ways, because these impressive young people have had an equally beneficial impact on our firm. We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from partners and staff about their interaction with the students. Volunteer numbers have risen by 400% from previous social mobility programmes and interest continues to grow. 

Developing a meaningful programme can be enormously resource-intensive and challenging to manage. (This article risks me taking the credit for the huge effort put into the programme by my colleagues on our social mobility steering committee.) We have a long way still to go before we can say that our programme truly inspires young people to embark on a career in the legal profession and I'm sure we will continue to face challenges. But I am (cautiously) pleased with what we have achieved in partnership with Frederick Bremer and Twist, and really hope this partnership will deliver the results we are looking for. 

Colin Passmore is senior partner at Simmons & Simmons.