Since its founding 13 years ago, LTSB, a UK-based social mobility charity for young people, has gone from strength to strength thanks to nationwide partnerships with firms like NatWest and funding from organisations including Futures for Kids, the futures industry’s charitable foundation.
Launched in 2012 by David Pinchin, the co-founder and former CEO of interdealer broker Tradition Financial Services, LTSB prepares and connects bright young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to careers with major firms.
It unlocks their potential through personal and professional development before they enter the corporate world, and provides continued support for their first year of work.
“We focus on recruiting, preparing and supporting young people into meaningful careers,” said Pete Ward, interim CEO of LTSB. “The problem we are looking to solve isn't the talent of the applicants. Our beneficiaries are already positive and effective. They just lack referral networks among family and friends, or the ability to navigate application processes and corporate environments.”
LTSB addresses all forms of disadvantage: from personal, in terms of adverse life events, to socio-economic class boundaries, to practical by preparing young people for the working world.
“Overwhelmingly, the conditions of your birth dictate your future in this country. The daughter of a minicab driver faces more barriers than the son of a hedge fund manager. But when you have the daughter of a minicab driver presenting with the same drive and ability as those more advantaged peers, there's a strong business case for giving people opportunities,” Ward said. “Our young people are simply asking for a chance to show what they can do.”
LTSB, which counts Lord Jim O’Neill, the former Goldman Sachs partner and UK Treasury Secretary, and ICAP/NEX Group founder Lord Michael Spencer as patrons, works with employers in a range of sectors including finance, digital technology and law. Other patrons include Lord Mervyn Davies and Ed Balls, the former Economic Secretary to the UK Treasury.
In the past, firms such as ICAP, Tullett Prebon, NEX Group, CME Group, Tradition, R J O'Brien and Intercontinental Exchange have been involved with LTSB through apprenticeships, funding or volunteering. Along with Pinchin and O’Neill, Spencer provided initial funding to the charity through the famous ICAP Charity Day.
In 2019, LTSB formed a long-standing partnership with NatWest Group that has provided LTSB students with programmes and apprenticeship roles in its contact centres and offices in the UK. The programmes are specially designed to prepare candidates for roles within the bank, including software development, IT support and project management. Candidates on these courses have also gone on to work for the Financial Conduct Authority, Kroll and Omnicom among others.
Partnering
Firms can partner with LTSB in several ways. The charity provides substantial volunteering opportunities, including practice interviews, guest speaking and hosting events at offices. But funding and hiring are critical.
“As an employment charity, we need opportunities for our young people that provide them with a career and progression, not just a job,” said Debs Barlow, employment and opportunities director at LTSB.
Since its founding, more than 1,900 young people have experienced LTSB’s range of programmes, and nearly 70% have started careers with clear progression opportunities. Several have become finance analysts, regulatory reporting analysts, data scientists, IT engineers and onboarding and quality control analysts, to name a few.
“We know that given the chance, the young people we work with become dedicated, hardworking employees who can ultimately become leaders in their field,” Barlow said. “This not only changes their lives, but the lives of their families and can inspire those around them too.”
If you would like to work with LTSB, please get in touch with the team at: careers@ltsb.charity
Website: https://ltsb.charity/get-involved/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ltsb-charity.
Social Mobility Day 2025 is on 12 June. More information and resources on #shiftingmindsets can be found at: https://socialmobilityday.com
