Coachcube Breaks Down Barriers to Connect Mentors and Students

There are many barriers to accessing prestigious industries in the UK, particularly for underprivileged individuals. These barriers can include limited access to quality education, lack of social connections and networking opportunities, and unconscious bias in the recruitment process.

Research conducted by Netflix and the National Youth Theatre found that most people think connections are more important than talent when pursuing a career in film, TV, and theater.

The recruitment process for these industries can also be biased, as recruiters may unconsciously favor candidates from similar backgrounds. This can result in a lack of diversity within these industries and perpetuate inequalities.

Following Netflix and the National Youth Theatre‘s findings, one London-based startup aims to address this problem.

Coachcube Online Mentoring Platform

Coachcube has launched an online mentoring platform to break down barriers to career and education opportunities for young people in the UK.  The platform connects young people with experienced professional and academic mentors who offer advice on specific industries, job roles, skill sets, and application processes via video teleconferencing sessions.

Sylvester Lewis, the founder of Coachcube, says the platform aims to democratize careers and education and make them accessible to everyone regardless of their background, culture, expertise, and socioeconomic status.

The platform also donates 95% of the fees generated to a UK-registered charity of the mentor’s choice, with the remaining 5% reinvested into the platform.

Lewis, a former finance industry professional, said he founded Coachcube during the pandemic as a response to witnessing barriers to education and careers and the changing communication landscape. He added that there is currently no major online platform where young people can receive 1-1 career and education advice from industry experts via video teleconference sessions. Coachcube aims to be the first.

Coachcube already has an active membership of over 500 mentors and mentees, has raised £250,000 in seed funding, and aims to secure £1m in crowdfunding later this year. The Mayor of London has also selected the platform to help deliver the ‘New Deal for Young People’ initiative.

Inequalities in Educational Attainment

According to a study published as part of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Deaton Review of Inequalities, education in the UK is falling short in several areas. Most notably, the system is not adequately tackling inequality. There are pervasive and entrenched inequalities in educational attainment.

Lewis hopes that Coachcube will help reduce these barriers and make industries accessible to all.

“For younger people, the world of work can feel like a different world in which they have no way of accessing it or tapping into it. You wouldn’t think twice about the information and experience you have built throughout your education and career. But to someone who is younger, who hasn’t got the experience, built the network, who hasn’t had the opportunities to reach out and ask those questions, your expertise and insights are invaluable,” Lewis explains.

“With Coachcube, you can support someone who values your insights and expertise whilst contributing to a good cause of your choosing alongside improving your mentoring skills such as listening and providing feedback.”

Coachcube is set to eliminate barriers to education and open opportunities for everyone regardless of their background, culture, expertise, and socioeconomic status.

Speaking about encouraging mentors to donate their fees, Lewis is quite frank: “If you’re an executive at Goldman Sachs or Amazon, do you really need £45 (the price of a 1-on-1 mentoring session) from a student who is keen to follow in your footsteps? Probably not.”

This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.