## **The Early Careers Foundation** 

Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 August 2025 




## **ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** 

## **Structure** 

The Early Careers Foundation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. 

## **Registered Charity Number** 

1198731 

## **Country of Registration** 

England & Wales 

## **Address** 

Floor 1, 10 East Road, London, N1 6 AD 

## **Trustees who served during the period and up to the date of this report were:** 

Catherine Adam (Chair) Daniel Ball Barbara Ball Gregory Kojo Bonsu Paul James Nicola Ivory-Chapman Chiara Galli 

Kelsey-Rae Williams – resigned September 2025 Oliver Bingham – resigned January 2026 

## **Staff** 

Alex Hutton (Foundation Manager) Sasha Aghabala (Foundation Associate) – left April 2026 

## **Accountants** 

Price Bailey LLP Anglia House, 6 Central Avenue, St Andrews Business Park, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich NR7 0HR 




## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES** 

The trustees present their report with the financial statements of The Early Careers Foundation for the year ended 31st August 2025. 

## _**OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES**_ 

The Foundation’s objects are to advance in life and help young people, and in particular, those from a socio-economically disadvantaged background by providing support and activities, including a learning programme and mentoring which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals and secure future employment. The financial period being reported on is the Foundation’s third year of operations from September 2024 to August 2025. 

## **Purpose and Aims:** 

The Early Careers Foundation is a social mobility charity, with all its activities dedicated to improving the way that talented young people, regardless of the socio-economic background they’re born into, gain professional skills, awareness and experience in preparation for leaving the education system. The Early Careers Foundation identified two main barriers to social mobility for young people, the lack of professional guidance and financial barriers. The Foundation designed two separate but interconnected interventions for each of these challenges. 

## **1. GUIDANCE – MENTORING PROGRAMME** 

Many young people from low-income backgrounds aspire to pursue professional careers or higher education, yet often lack access to personalised guidance from someone with relevant experience. Our Mentoring Programme bridges this gap by pairing Year 12-–13 students from our partner schools with committed volunteer mentors drawn from our network of Corporate Partners. Each mentor supports their mentee through monthly one-hour sessions, following a structured employability curriculum  – equipping students with the skills, confidence, and insight they need to secure a great first job. The programme aligns with the academic calendar and runs from October through July. 

## **2. FINANCIAL ACCESS – THE EARLY CAREERS FUND** 

Even with the right guidance and support, many young people from low-income backgrounds face financial barriers that limit their ability to pursue post-18 opportunities. 




University, apprenticeships, internships, and even entry-level roles can all carry hidden costs—such as travel, equipment, or accommodation—that make them difficult to access. The Early Careers Fund is a means-tested grant designed to remove these barriers. Available to graduates of our Mentoring Programme, it provides targeted financial support to help young people take their next steps with confidence. The Fund is a vital part of our long-term strategy to drive sustainable social mobility, ensuring that no promising future is cut short by cost. 

## **Approach To Success** 

During the reporting period, The Early Careers Foundation (ECF) delivered the third implementation of the ECF Mentoring Programme with the largest cohort of volunteer mentors and student mentee beneficiaries. The Foundation operates on a ’partnership model’ – serving as a strategic bridge between schools with high proportions of students eligible for Free School Meals and UK-based employers committed to tackling social inequality through meaningful engagement with young people. This model allows The Foundation to connect with underrepresented talent with professionals and opportunities in the world of work, creating mutually beneficial relationships between student mentees and volunteer employee mentors. 

To create a longevity of support for beneficiaries, the Foundation also created The Early Careers Fund, a means-tested financial grant designed to support mentees beyond their school years. In the 2024-2025 academic year, the team advertised The Fund, screened applications and made grant distributions. The Early Careers Fund represents a key pillar in The Foundation’s long-term impact strategy, ensuring that talented young people are not held back from further education, apprenticeship or early employment opportunities due to financial constraints. 

## _**ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE**_ 

During the 2023-2024 academic year, 668 young people from 42 School Partners across England took part in The Early Careers Foundation’s flagship Mentoring Programme. All participating schools had more than 30% of their student population on the Free School Meals programme. 

These students were supported by 668 volunteer mentors from a network of over 103 Corporate Partners, who delivered structured monthly mentoring sessions throughout the academic year. Feedback from the beneficiaries at the end of the academic year was 




overwhelmingly positive: 97% of mentees felt better prepared to make decisions about their future, 100% of mentees would recommend having an ECF mentor to a mentor, 95% of programmes graduates progressed to a confirmed university place, apprenticeship or first job. 

In addition, 8 young people were awarded grants from The Early Careers Fund to support them accessing various opportunities following Sixth Form. 

## _**PLANS FOR THE FUTURE**_ 

Looking ahead to the 2025-2026 year, The Early Careers Foundation maintains focus on deepening impact. A key priority is growing our fundraising activities for The Early Careers Fund to ensure continued financial support for beneficiaries graduating from our programmes. 

To meet growing demand, we will continue to strengthen our network of Corporate Partners, with a particular focus on engaging larger organisations with substantial employee bases capable of supplying a steady pool of engaged volunteer mentors. 

## _**STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT**_ 

## **Governing Document** 

The Charity is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation constituted under a constitution, registered on April 26th 2022. The Trustees review the aims, objectives and impact of its work each year, with this report specifically looking at what the Charity has achieved in September 2024 up until August 31st 2025. 

## **Trustees and Management** 

The ultimate management of the Charity is the responsibility of the Trustees, who are elected under the terms of the constitution. The Charity’s governing document requires the appointment of at least three Trustees. In January 2025, there were two appointments to the board: 

Chiara Galli Oliver Bingham 

Subsequently, the board of Trustees during the 2024-2025 academic year consisted of: 




Catherine Adam (Chair) Daniel Ball Barbara Ball Gregory Kojo Bonsu Kelsey-Rae Williams Paul James Nicola Ivory-Chapman Chiara Galli Oliver Bingham 

All Trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits or remuneration from the charity. Trusteeship is restricted to a term of three years, and individuals may be re-appointed for a subsequent term. The Trustees devolve many day-to-day operational matters of the Foundation to the Director (Leah Jones) and Manager (Alex Hutton), however, all major decisions are referred to the Trustees and voted upon. The Manager reports to the board on the Foundation’s activities, achievements and plans at quarterly board meetings and further ad hoc meetings where necessary. 

Due to the unique funding relationship between The Early Careers Foundation and The Ladder Group Limited, one trustee role is allocated as a co-opted position, with The Ladder Group Limited reserving the right to appoint a Trustee to that seat. However, to avoid conflicts of interest, this co-opted position is a non-voting role. The first individual in this role is Daniel Ball, CEO and Founder of The Ladder Group. 

## **Trustee Recruitment and Appointment** 

Subject to the number of appointed Trustees, individuals with relevant skills, experiences and qualifications are encouraged to send an expression of interest to the Foundation’s Director, who will hold an informal call with the individual to discuss the charity, the role of a Trustee and the remainder of the recruitment process. If deemed suitable, the Director will submit their CV and references to the Chair, who will hold a subsequent interview with the candidate to further evaluate their skills and experiences relevant to the role. The Chair and Director will then present the candidate to the Board of Trustees, who will vote on their appointment. All new Trustees are provided with a Recruitment Pack and an Induction Pack to assist them in the role they are to undertake. 




## **Related parties and relationships with other organisations** 

During the reporting period, The Early Careers Foundation’s primary operational partner was The Ladder Group Limited, which provided comprehensive in-kind support to enable the delivery of the charity’s activities. While the Foundation’s work is closely supported by The Ladder Group, the Trustees affirm that all charitable activities are independently designed and implemented in alignment with the Foundation’s stated objectives. 

Any incidental benefit derived by The Ladder Group as a result of this partnership, such as opportunities for employee volunteering or enhanced social impact reporting, is secondary to and significantly outweighed by the Foundation’s public benefit and charitable outcomes. The Trustees remain committed to maintaining clear boundaries and transparency in all partnership arrangements, ensuring the charity’s mission remains the guiding force behind all decisions and initiatives. 




## **FINANCIAL REVIEW** 

During the 2024-2025 financial year, The Early Careers Foundation recorded £8,202 in income and £0 in expenditure. All operational, staffing and programme-related costs were covered by in-kind contributions from our founding partner, The Ladder Group Limited. These contributions included rent, software and technology access, seconded staff and operational infrastructure. The total value of these in-kind contributions is £129,003. 

These in-kind contributions included: 

DBS & Software costs = £24,540 Approximate value of people costs = £85,263 Approximate value of office space = £17,425 Other expenses (travel, printing etc.) = £1,775 

The Foundation held a CAF charity bank account during the reporting period. The Foundation is working towards establishing independent financial infrastructure to support the financial management of The Early Careers Fund. 

The Trustees are satisfied that the current level of support and operating model is sufficient to meet the charity’s objectives, and work is underway to develop a formal fundraising strategy to diversify income and ensure long-term sustainability. 

## **Principal Risks and Uncertainties** 

The Board of Trustees has reviewed any significant risks facing The Early Careers Foundation. These risks are evaluated by likelihood and potential impact, and the Board has established strategies to mitigate them in line with its risk tolerance. All identified risks are documented within a comprehensive risk register, subject to regular reviews, updates, and annual approval by the Trustees. Where necessary, the Foundation has implemented systems or protocols to effectively handle these risks. The Foundation Director monitors changes in risk levels and identifies any emerging threats that might affect the organisation, promptly bringing such concerns to the attention of the Trustees. The following covers the primary risks identified for The Early Careers Foundation: 

_Reduced funding for the Foundation due to reduced revenue or profits for its key partner, The Ladder Group Limited_ _**.**_ 

The Foundation maintains a close relationship with The Ladder Group Limited and has comprehensive up-to-date knowledge of the company’s performance and revenue forecasts. Furthermore, the required funding for the Foundation to maintain operations is 




an obligation irrespective of profit or revenue margins, as agreed upon in the MOU between the two organisations. 

_Negative publicity about The Ladder Group Limited damages the Foundation by association, leading to disengagement from partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries._ The Ladder Group Limited has its PR management plans in place to manage this risk and we continue to build strong relationships with partners and stakeholders to mitigate this risk via delineation between The Ladder Group and The Early Careers Foundation’s operating & activities. 

_Foundation staff or volunteers behaving inappropriately with children or vulnerable adults while representing the Foundation, in person or online._ 

We have robust safeguarding policies and procedures that were designed with the input of a Safeguarding expert. This covers all relevant individuals who are involved in activities with children and vulnerable adults needing to complete referencing, training and an Enhanced DBS check as per our Safer Recruitment processes and Volunteer (mentor) Code of Conduct. 

_Loss or extended absence of a senior staff member resulting in loss of experience, skill and knowledge._ 

The Foundation Director must provide 3 months’ notice if leaving their role, giving sufficient time to appoint a successor and transfer knowledge. Key documents are in a shared file location, and key processes have been documented. Finance functions are supported externally. 

## **Fundraising** 

During the reporting period, The Early Careers Foundation did not undertake any public fundraising efforts and does not use or employ professional fundraisers. 

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers and duties. 

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable the financial statements to comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the 




prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. 

The Trustees’ annual report has been approved by the Trustees on the 3rd of July 2026 and signed on their behalf by: 


Catherine Adam **Chair of Trustees** 



## Audit trail 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
Details<br>FILE NAME ECF ANNUAL REPORT (2024-'25) - 03/07/2026, 12:09<br>STATUS Signed<br>2026/07/03<br>STATUS TIMESTAMP<br>12:17:32 UTC<br>Activity<br>alex@earlycareersfoundation.org sent a signature request to: 2026/07/03<br>SENT Catherine Adam (catherine@alchemy.london) 11:09:39 UTC<br>2026/07/03<br>Signed by Catherine Adam (catherine@alchemy.london)<br>SIGNED 12:17:32 UTC<br>2026/07/03<br>This document has been signed by all signers and is complete<br>COMPLETED 12:17:32 UTC<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


The email address indicated above for each signer may be associated with a Google account, and may either be the primary email address or secondary email address associated with that account.