Villiers Park and Roku pledge to work together to empower young people with key career skills

Bronagh Sumner

Villiers Park and Roku, a pioneer in TV streaming, are proud to be working together to inspire the next generation of leaders in STEM, technology and entertainment.

Our exciting new partnership will ensure that young people from under-represented backgrounds have access to the expertise, education and insights needed to embark on innovative career paths. 


This partnership will reach  young people throughout the 2024/25 academic year, with Roku playing a key role in supporting the Future Leaders programme, with a particular focus on Cambridge and Norwich. Through employer insights, interaction with Roku employees and firsthand experiences of the world of work, students are introduced to new possibilities which help to develop vital skills. These interactions broaden horizons for young people, making future career pathways into some of the world’s most dynamic industries become clearer. 


We are thrilled to have already started collaborating with Roku. Earlier this month, we welcomed Josh, Zsofia and Matthias to North Cambridge Academy and Coleridge Community College as part of our Enrichment Partnerships Pilot (EPP) where they delivered inspiring talks to over 300 students about how their hobbies and extracurricular interests have helped to shape their personal and professional lives. These assemblies lay the foundation for students to develop their own enrichment activities, benefiting their peers and wider school communities. 


And last Thursday, 15 students from The Hewett Academy in Norwich visited Roku’s Cambridge office with employees who introduced them to the wide variety of roles available. Through a careers panel and networking exercise students were able to learn more about individual career journeys and the key skills they would need on their own, including everything from internship applications to how to search for opportunities. Roku colleagues also shared valuable advice, encouraging curiosity, learning through mistakes, and practicing coding to build expertise. 


Advice from Roku employees to young people starting their career journeys: 

“Learn from your mistakes but don’t be afraid to make them” 

“To get into development read as write as much code as you can, you with learn by doing” 

“Be curious” 

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"At Roku we are committed to transforming pathways for students from under-represented communities by creating programs that develop future generations of talent into our industries. We are pleased to partner with Villiers Park to help us further this mission across England.”

Allegra Armas, Social Impact Project Manager at Roku


“It’s been great working with Roku, on both the Enrichment Partnerships Pilot, and our visit to their impressive office in Cambridge. We are thrilled that Roku are committed to supporting young people in Norwich and Cambridgeshire develop their skills and offering valuable insights into future career opportunities in fields like Science and Technology.” 

Megan Broughton, Villiers Park’s Programme Coordinator for the East of England


“Our partnership with Roku is a fantastic opportunity to give young people from under-represented backgrounds real, hands-on experiences and connections with industry professionals. Not only inspiring them to realise their potential but also equipping them with the career skills and confidence to succeed.” 

Gaby Sumner, Villiers Park Chief Executive

By Bronagh Sumner April 25, 2025
In September 2024, we were thrilled to have Emma Cross join our team as a Progression Coach in Hastings and Bexhill. Before working at Villiers Park, Emma worked as a teacher across multiple schools in East Sussex and internationally. What does your role entail? As a Progression Coach, my role involves supporting young people across Hastings and Bexhill ?" especially those from underrepresented backgrounds ?" in achieving their academic and career aspirations. I provide one-to-one sessions to help students develop confidence, resilience and goal setting skills as well as supporting students in identifying their strengths, interests and potential career pathways. This support could either be through university and apprenticeship applications, personal statements, interview preparation, internships or other alternative career pathways. I have also been involved in organising and delivering workshops around applying for university and managing exam anxiety. What did you do before coming to Villiers Park? I spent some time in Hong Kong studying and teaching English at a local primary school. Throughout my time teaching, I discovered a passion for learning about education in international contexts, so I decided to study a MA in International Education and Development at the University of Sussex. From this, I gained valuable insights on the impact of globalisation on education policy and practice. I also volunteered with the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link, where I had the opportunity to travel to Hastings, Sierra Leone, and work with some amazing individuals, focusing on developing education and healthcare around the surrounding areas of Freetown. What is your biggest project at the moment? My biggest project now is supporting our Future Leaders with their Leadership Challenge projects. I spend a lot of time working with groups, supporting them with their project proposals and implementation. We have some great projects this year, such as a community beach clean, a research presentation around A-Level Law, teaching a Year 7 PE lesson and a whole school football tournament. What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing in your role? The biggest challenge I am currently facing is finding local and contextual apprenticeship and work experience opportunities for our Future Leaders. Hastings and Bexhill have a limited offering for these opportunities, so it makes it difficult for our Future Leaders to feel motivated and involved in apprenticeships. What is your favourite part about your job? My favourite part of the job is seeing the direct impact you have on students’ confidence and aspirations. Watching students grow and see them go from uncertain about their future to feeling empowered and motivated and building strong relationships with young people and being their trusted mentor who helps them navigate challenges. Also, knowing that your work is making a real difference in creating social mobility and giving students access to opportunities, like university insight days, they might not have had otherwise. What is a book you will always recommend? This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone ?" high science fiction meets with poetic love literary! If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go? It has always been my dream to go to Japan! I’m fascinated by the culture and landscape ?" and Japanese food is my favourite!? Or New Zealand to see all the different locations where they filmed the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Who are your two dream dinner party guests? Wow! So many people I would choose... but I would have to go with Chino Moreno from the band Deftones ?" just so I can talk about all the things I love about his music! And Hakuri Murakami to talk all things literature. What would your perfect weekend look like? A perfect weekend would be brunch in my favourite cafe (must have good coffee!), a sunny walk around the South Downs with the dogs, ending up in a pub with good friends, food and a band!
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