UK-headquartered global financial technology company TigerWit teamed up with the Liverpool FC Foundation to support the club’s Premier League Works employability program and plan to drive the initiative forward into 2020 following the successful training of eleven 18-25-year olds who took part in a range of activities aimed at inspiring and supporting them onto the next stage in their lives.

To conclude the scheme for 2019, TigerWit has provided the opportunity for 21-year-old Liverpudlian Rebecca Dillon to partake in one week’s work experience in their UK Head Office. TigerWit is supporting Rebecca by paying travel and accommodation expenses and she will learn the workings of a financial services company in the heart of the City of London, covering all aspects of finance, trading, compliance, marketing, sales and fintech, with the aim to provide her with a thorough experience and grounding in the working of financial markets.

Rebecca Dillion said of her experience: “I found the employability scheme really valuable, especially the CV surgery as it helped me to develop my own CV and tailor it to different job applications to meet each company’s criteria. I also really enjoyed playing on the pitch at Anfield – it was fantastic to meet the former players and have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to score in the Kop.

“I’m really looking forward to my work experience in London – during the course I was motivated by TigerWit’s inspirational talks and wanted to get a glimpse of life in the City and a corporate work environment. I was able to find out more about the company which encouraged me to apply for the position. This opportunity will be invaluable as it’ll give me transferable skills and knowledge which I’ll be able to use throughout my life.”

Tim Hughes, CEO at TigerWit said: “It has been inspiring to work with the Liverpool FC Foundation and we look forward to continuing this scheme in the years ahead to help young people like Rebecca learn the skills and gain the confidence to get any job they want. We are looking forward to welcoming Rebecca to the TigerWit office in London and will provide her with a rounded week of experience that we hope will serve her well for the future.”

Matt Parish, director of LFC Foundation, said: “Our programme offers employment support and unique experiences to young people who have either been out of work or full-time education for a period of time. It really helps them to build their confidence, which is a core part of the scheme.

“We recognise that young people are our future, so they’re learning additional skills, they’re meeting real people who work in the business world and seeing where they’ve come from and how they’ve got to where they are now. Often, they’ve been on a not too dissimilar journey, which can give these young people that inspiration for their own career paths.”

Throughout the summer participants in the five-week scheme undertook training and activities that were designed to help young people develop their personal and social skills to make a positive transition back into education or gain meaningful employment. This included one-to-one development sessions along with a CV surgery that focused on how to write and construct a successful CV to capture the attention of future employers, which was delivered at Anfield Stadium by TigerWit.

At the start of the scheme, participants received a special surprise when LFC Legends John Aldridge and Roy Evans had been exclusively invited by TigerWit to visit the participants and deliver a career session with a difference, before they were able to head out onto the pitch for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play on the famous Anfield turf.

The youngsters were also treated by TigerWit to an all-expenses paid trip to London during the course of the scheme to visit the impressive Bloomberg Headquarters to get a sense for what working life is like in a real professional environment.