News & Media Centre

Today we announced our partnership with The Girls’ Network, an award-winning charity which empowers young girls from less advantaged communities to overcome any unfair barriers they may encounter in both work and everyday life. 

Launching on 24th February, the partnership will see a group of our successful female employees take part in a mentoring programme, providing support and advice to school-girls in Robertsbridge, East Sussex, designed to help them best plan for their careers after school. 

The mentors will hold 10 personalised, one-to-one, hour long development sessions, designed to build communication and interview skills, provide support in CV development and help with UCAS applications, revision techniques and time management.

Each session between student and mentor is aimed to inspire the girls to unlock their full potential and demonstrate what career options are possible beyond school and university. In partnering with The Girls’ Network, we aim to inspire the students to think big when it comes to planning their future career.

Commenting on the partnership, Cat Harris, Learning and Development Manager, said: “Originally I contacted The Girls’ Network with the intention of providing support myself, however it soon became apparent that we have a number of inspiring women at the company, and as such, we could offer a lot more to our future leaders.  As we’re also the largest employer in the area, supporting this initiative is a great way for us to give back to the community.”

Also commenting on the partnership, Becca Dean, Director and co-founder, of The Girls’ Network said: “It’s essential that the young girls understand that their social background should never hold them back in life, professionally or personally. We’re thankful to 1ST CENTRAL for agreeing to help mentor the girls; sharing their advice, experiences and guidance.”

In addition, Doug Downs, Acting Head Teacher, of Robertsbridge Community College said: “The girls taking part in the initiative were all hand-picked because of their potential to succeed and I believe they will thrive under the mentoring programme. This is a fantastic initiative and we’re confident it will help springboard these girls into the successful and prosperous future they deserve.”

< BACK TO NEWS