THE TALENT TAP 

Today, you are still 60% more likely to be in a professional job if you were from a privileged background rather than a working-class background.

The Talent Tap works with industry and education to create accessible and equitable pathways into meaningful careers for young people (17-25), with a specific focus on those from low social mobility backgrounds, who live in coastal and rural areas across the UK.

A professional network is a powerful thing, and their work is designed with industry to promote cross-industry collaboration and deliver tangible improvements within the social mobility landscape.

Uniquely, they support students across a 4-year period, through 2 core programmes.

The Emerging Talent Programme delivers at least two city-based, in-person, work experience placements, with all costs fully covered by The Talent Tap, removing the financial barrier for young people. These 2-week residential placements are enhanced with a comprehensive timetable of wraparound networking and insights events.

The Future Talent Programme offers support and guidance for the transition between full-time education and employment. Students are invited to industry-run mock recruitment processes, helping them to prepare for and execute interviews and other skills-based tasks. They are carefully matched with businesses, aligned to their current career aspirations.

Students are all individually supported by year-round professional mentoring and can apply for access loans and bursaries.

What makes them different?

• They base their approach on a well-researched and developed model

• They target students from coastal and rural areas, where access to career opportunities is a known challenge, compounded by financial and logistical barriers.

• They visit schools, in person, collaborating with teachers and tutors to identify students who would benefit most from our support.

• They offer multi-year pastoral support, allowing students to try things out, change their minds, fail, and restart.

• They connect employers directly with a distinct and widely diverse group of young people, forging new and sustainable relationships.

• They deliver diverse talent to the marketplace for industry to connect with and employ.

• They don’t just do research, they make a real difference to real people.

emap are proud members of isla.

isla is a non-profit organisation founded as the event industry’s response to the climate crisis. Founded by 12 agencies, isla is an action driven network. It brings together expertise from across the entire events sector, provides resources and training and has developed tools to support and deliver industry wide standardisation and best practice on sustainable practices.