Make a Difference Week with Sopra Steria
At Villiers Park, we believe every young person deserves the chance to imagine and realise their possible selves. Thanks to Sopra Steria, our Principal Partner, more students from under-represented backgrounds are able to seize exciting opportunities, access key financial support and develop skills to help shape their futures.
During Sopra Steria’s Make a Difference Week, we’re celebrating the impact of this collaboration for our Future Leaders.
In the last academic year 120 young people got the chance to step out of their comfort zone and into employability and skills sessions led by Sopra Steria at the University of Bath residential and their offices in London and Edinburgh. These create opportunities to connect with Sopra Steria colleagues, step into a professional workplace and develop key employability skills for the future.
“I didn’t know things like this existed. It’s made me consider working for a place like this even though I’m not a business person at all. [...] This is like a hidden gem.” – Future Leader, after attending an Insight Day
Clara, a Future Leader Alum from Hastings, shared:
“The Sopra Steria trip was fantastic. I’d never really been to an office workplace, and Villiers Park is full of those kind of opportunities where you do things you wouldn’t really think about.”
Our partnership also delivers practical support for Future Leaders and alumni of our programmes. Thanks to the Sopra Steria Opportunities Fund, over 200 Future Leaders were able to access bursaries for laptops, textbooks and study resources and experiences like university visits.
Aderinsola and Adesola, both Year 10 Future Leaders, shared:
“We would also like to thank the Sopra Steria Fund as this year we received two brand new laptops. This has really helped so much considering the amount of written and course work we have in our GCSEs.”
From employability workshops to exploring how technology is shaping the future, Sopra Steria volunteers are helping young people build confidence, discover career pathways and gain skills for life.
As one Year 12 student reflected after a Sopra Steria Experience Insight Day in London:
“We learnt about their day-to-day jobs. It was really interesting to learn how comfortable it was compared to how you’d see it represented in the media. It was really fun to talk to them and we learnt quite a lot of things. It was really a good chance to get out and experience a lot of new things, especially going to London.”
Gaby Sumner, Villiers Park Chief Executive said:
“Working with Sopra Steria gives us a fantastic opportunity to expand young people’s horizons and enable them to develop the skills and experiences they can take forward in their futures. Together, we can help to change the landscape of opportunities available to young people, no matter their background.”
In 2025/26, we are looking forward to giving more Future Leaders the opportunities to visit Sopra Steria offices in London and Edinburgh, access to bursaries through the Opportunities Fund and 1-1 careers mentoring from Sopra Steria colleagues. This Make a Difference Week we want to thank every colleague and volunteer who gives their time, energy and skills to support our Future Leaders.
