Speakers for Schools
Speakers for Schools, trading as Futures For All, is a UK charity founded in 2010 that connects young people from state schools and colleges with work experience placements, inspirational speaker talks, and career resources, working through a network of 2,200+ schools, 100s of employers, and 1,500+ speakers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Speakers for Schools does
Speakers for Schools, operating under the trading name Futures For All since 2025, is a UK-registered charity (no. 1150411 in England and Wales; SC046586 in Scotland; operating in Northern Ireland) founded in 2010 and headquartered in London. Its core functional purpose is to improve social mobility by helping young people from state schools and colleges access real-world work experience, inspirational speaker talks, and career-development resources that are otherwise concentrated among peers in independent schools. The organisation operates across three primary programme areas: Work Experience (in-person and remote placements plus Insight Days with leading UK employers); Speakers for Schools (a network of 1,500+ high-profile professionals delivering talks, supported by an on-demand Talks Library and live Upcoming Broadcasts); and a Policy and Research function producing reports and opinion pieces. Distribution is mediated through a digital self-serve tool, the Work Experience Finder (finder.futuresforall.org), alongside direct engagement with 2,200+ schools and colleges and a partnership programme involving 100s of employers.
The underlying technology is a coordination platform rather than a proprietary technology stack: Wix-based web properties, an account/authentication layer at account.futuresforall.org, and a discovery feed for opportunity matching. No mobile app, public API, SDK, or AI/ML components are disclosed. Programme delivery relies on the charity's network density, not on software IP. The business model is non-commercial: all programmes are fully funded and provided free of charge to young people, schools, and colleges. The charity is funded through diversified donations and charitable grants from corporate philanthropies (AL Philanthropies), private foundations (Garfield Weston Foundation, The Hg Foundation, Savoy Educational Trust), and individual giving. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 band, with named corporate partners spanning aviation (Virgin Atlantic), financial services (FinTrU, Chubb), legal (DWF, A&L Goodbody), technology (Cisco, AND Digital, EOS IT), creative (Lucky Generals), and public sector (Capita, Care UK). Reach in 2023–2024 included 16,300 young people supported into work experience and 63,736 attending in-person talks.
Speakers for Schools firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Speakers for Schools
- Legal name
- Speakers for Schools
- Website
- https://speakersforschools.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Speakers for Schools, trading as Futures For All, is a UK charity founded in 2010 that connects young people from state schools and colleges with work experience placements, inspirational speaker talks, and career resources, working through a network of 2,200+ schools, 100s of employers, and 1,500+ speakers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Speakers for Schools industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Social Mobility and Careers Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Lectures & Speaker Series (MPAGACAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Classroom Audio, Voice Amplification & Communication Hardware/Software (EDAFAGAI)
Keywords
Where Speakers for Schools is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Speakers for Schools business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Speakers for Schools product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Speakers for Schools is a UK charity that brokers free work experience placements (in-person and remote) between state-educated young people aged 14-19 and leading employers, and arranges inspirational talks through a national network of professional speakers. It operates a Work Experience Finder digital platform that lets students discover and apply for placements, and runs a Talks Library and live broadcast programme to extend speaker access beyond live events.
Product overview
Speakers for Schools (operating as Futures For All) is a UK social mobility charity offering a platform of connected programmes. The core offerings consist of Work Experience (in-person and remote placements with leading UK employers), the Work Experience Finder (a discovery and search tool), and Speakers for Schools (a network of inspirational speakers with an on-demand Talks Library). The charity also provides Policy and Research outputs and Upcoming Broadcasts. All programmes are fully funded and targeted at state-educated young people to level the playing field for social mobility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 89% of students felt confident in achieving their career ambitions post placement
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Speakers for Schools
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Speakers for Schools technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Speakers for Schools partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- A&L GoodbodyminorSocial mobility partner providing work experience opportunities and career insights to state school students through the Futures For All network.
- AND DigitalminorSocial mobility partner offering digital industry work experience and mentoring through the Futures For All platform.
- APCCminorSocial mobility partner collaborating on career education initiatives.
- AlthausminorSocial mobility partner contributing to the Futures For All employer network.
- BCSminorSocial mobility partner providing technology and professional career insights.
- CapitaminorSocial mobility partner offering work experience placements across various business functions.
- Care UKminorSocial mobility partner providing health and social care sector work experience.
- Chartered Insurance InstituteminorSocial mobility partner offering financial services career insights and work experience.
- ChubbminorSocial mobility partner providing insurance industry work experience opportunities.
- CiscominorSocial mobility partner offering technology sector work experience and career talks.
- DWFminorSocial mobility partner providing legal and professional services work experience.
- ENABLEminorSocial mobility partner supporting career development initiatives.
- EOS IT SolutionsminorSocial mobility partner offering IT and technology work experience.
- Virgin AtlanticcoreDesigned a yearlong programme of aviation learning with 25,000 hours of inspiring talks, interactive activities, and mentoring, both remotely and in-person. Provides speakers and work experience for young people.
- FinTrUcoreProvides remote/virtual work experience in financial services. One participant who completed the programme in 2021 later became an employee at FinTrU in 2023, demonstrating the programme's talent pipeline impact.
- Lucky GeneralsminorAd agency that invited young talents into their studio to experience the creative industry, showcasing real-world workplace environments.
- Djanogly City AcademycoreEducational institution partner actively using Futures For All programmes to provide students with inspiring talks and work experience opportunities.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Speakers for Schools competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Brightside: UK charity providing online mentoring and career guidance to young people from underrepresented groups. Comparable mentoring and career-guidance delivery, more digital-first.
- Speakers Trust: UK organisation that trains and connects public speakers with schools, sharing the "speakers into schools" model, though with a broader oracy focus.
- Rare Recruitment: UK social-mobility recruitment firm running programmes that open up leading employers to state-educated candidates. Direct overlap in the state-school-to-employer bridge that defines Speakers for Schools.
- Career Ready: UK charity running structured work experience, mentoring and masterclasses for state-school students aged 16-19. Directly comparable mission and beneficiary population to Speakers for Schools / Futures For All.
- upReach: UK social-mobility charity supporting undergraduates from disadvantaged backgrounds into graduate employment through employer mentoring and placements. Comparable beneficiary focus and employer engagement.
- 10,000 Interns Foundation: UK charity funding paid internships for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Comparable social-mobility mission and employer-partnership model, narrower focus on internships only.
- Inspiring the Future: UK initiative that connects state-school students with professionals for career talks and workplace visits. Closest direct peer given the shared speaker-into-schools delivery model and focus on widening access.
Broad incumbents
- The Sutton Trust: UK foundation funding research and programmes on social mobility and educational access. Comparable beneficiary population and policy-research angle, broader scope beyond speaker programming.
- The Prince's Trust: Large UK youth-development charity supporting 11-30 year olds with education, training and work pathways. Broader portfolio but overlapping social-mobility and employer-engagement remit.
Others
- Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) member charities: UK trade body whose member charities deliver employability, work-experience and social-mobility programmes. Indirect peer that describes the broader ecosystem in which Speakers for Schools operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Speakers for Schools social profiles
Digital presenceSpeakers for Schools financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Speakers for Schools leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Speakers for Schools funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Speakers for Schools M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Speakers for Schools
What does Speakers for Schools do?
Speakers for Schools is a UK charity that brokers free work experience placements (in-person and remote) between state-educated young people aged 14-19 and leading employers, and arranges inspirational talks through a national network of professional speakers. It operates a Work Experience Finder digital platform that lets students discover and apply for placements, and runs a Talks Library and live broadcast programme to extend speaker access beyond live events.
Is Speakers for Schools a public or private company?
Speakers for Schools is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Speakers for Schools founded?
Speakers for Schools was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Speakers for Schools based?
Speakers for Schools is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are Speakers for Schools's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Brightside, Speakers Trust, Rare Recruitment, Career Ready, upReach, 10,000 Interns Foundation and Inspiring the Future. Broad incumbents are The Sutton Trust and The Prince's Trust. Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) member charities is listed as an others.
Does Speakers for Schools have an API?
No public API is recorded for Speakers for Schools.
What industry is Speakers for Schools in?
Speakers for Schools's product category is Youth Social Mobility and Careers Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGACAI, Public Lectures & Speaker Series, with a secondary code of EDAFAGAI, Classroom Audio, Voice Amplification & Communication Hardware/Software. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.