Students from the Inspire Programme recently marked the completion of their six-month mentoring journey at Zurich Insurance's London headquarters. The celebration event featured interactive workshops with professionals from diverse sectors, including law, STEM, psychology, and finance.

Students and their mentors were also joined by Jake Brown, series 3 winner of The Traitors. Jake spoke about confidence and self-belief and his words resonated strongly.

One student commented: "Hearing Jake talk about confidence and how he copes with it, despite his disability, was extremely helpful as he gave some tips that I would have never thought of myself to overcome shyness or improve confidence."

Adam Slade, Lead Tutor for The Inspire Programme said: "We are thrilled with the success and popularity of Zurich’s Kickstart mentoring programme. We had even more students take part this year, and that's testament to the mentors who volunteer their time and to the strength of the programme itself."

The Kickstart programme, structured over five or six supportive mentoring sessions throughout the year, allows students to develop confidence at their own pace. Activities include mock interviews, addressing imposter syndrome, and creating persuasive presentations, CVs, and LinkedIn profiles. The programme's success is attributed to the real-world insights provided by experienced professionals.

This year saw a significant increase in participation, with 52 students completing the full programme, nearly double the number from three years ago. The programme's impact extends beyond mentoring, with seven students securing valuable work experience at Zurich's Farnborough office, and others gaining useful connections in areas such as law or engineering.

The Inspire Programme remains committed to broadening access and addressing inequalities in opportunities for students. View the programmes eligibility criteria here.