Blythe Bridge Students Launch Mindful Mondays to Support Mental Health in Schools
Students from Blythe Bridge High School in Stoke-on-Trent have turned a national competition win into a project that’s now helping schools across the country.
After winning the Oli Leigh Challenge at The National Careers Challenge Finals 2025, the team officially launched Mindful Mondays on 10th October, to mark World Mental Health Day.
The launch was attended by Councillor Adam Parks of Staffordshire Moorlands council, Michelle Leigh (founder of the Oli Leigh Trust), representatives from The Inspirational Learning Group (TILG), and the students’ proud parents and teachers.
Mindful Mondays encourages pupils to take time each week to reflect on how they’re feeling, take part in short mindfulness activities, and talk openly about mental health.
The idea began as part of the Oli Leigh Challenge, delivered by TILG with the Oli Leigh Trust, which asked students nationwide to design resources that could support wellbeing in schools or local communities.
With help from Rebecca Clarke, Head of Education and Curriculum at TILG, the concept has developed into a digital resource now available FREE to all UK schools through TILG’s Lightbulb platform. Resources include teacher guides, posters, presentations, and staff training, supporting schools to meet the Department for Education’s new RSHE guidance, which now requires suicide prevention and mental health education to be embedded within the curriculum.
Speaking at the launch, Michelle Leigh, founder of The Oli Leigh Trust, praised the team for turning tragedy into action:
“Oli’s legacy is about saving lives through early education and conversation. Seeing these students take that message forward in such a meaningful way is incredibly special.”
Councillor Adam Parks added:
“This is an inspiring example of what happens when young people are empowered to lead the way on important issues. Blythe Bridge should be extremely proud.”
The Mindful Mondays app is currently in development, with plans for release in 2026, giving students the chance to access activities independently.Schools can access all resources for free here: https://form.jotform.com/242493051403347
Over 100 students inspired to be the Next Engineers of our generation!
The Inspirational Learning Group (TILG) has marked another hugely successful year of its Next Engineers Summer Camp, welcoming over 100 aspiring young engineers to the Octagon Events Centre at Stafford Education and Enterprise Park. Now in its third year, the two week programme gave Year 9 and 10 students from across Staffordshire an unforgettable insight into the world of engineering.
Across the fortnight, students took part in a series of hands on challenges designed to develop critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork, all inspired by real world engineering scenarios. One highlight saw students explore Newton’s Third Law of Motion, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, by applying it to a mini-golf challenge, where they had to design and test courses that demonstrated the principle in action.
Other activities included building the tallest towers, creating hydraulic arms powered by syringes, and developing prototypes that could lift and move marshmallow objects, all pushing students to apply theory in fun, practical ways.
Each day ended with an “Engineer of the Day” award, celebrating those who had shown outstanding effort and ingenuity, appreciated and recognised by students and parents.
The programme also gave students the chance to see engineering in action beyond the camp. They visited Staffordshire University to experience what engineering at higher education level looks like, and were given exclusive access to GE Vernova’s factory in Stafford, where they explored different industries, career paths, and witnessed cutting edge engineering in practice.
The camp was supported not only by TILG’s experienced facilitator team but also by more than 40 volunteers from GE Vernova. Week one featured support from Maddie, Ehab, and Emily, while week two saw Maddie joined by Oliwer and Nathan – all recent graduates of Cohort 1 and 2.
Emily shared her reflections: “As I’ve done academy myself I understand how important it is for students to have a go at these experience weeks. It’s so important trying new things, to inspire for things when they are older, it’s an amazing career path that it can get students into. They’ve had amazing week testing different activities and projects. It’s been great. As well, for their presentation skills it’s an opportunity like no other.”
Alan from GE Vernova also added: “I’ve been attending many of these Next Engineers events. It’s an absolutely wonderful opportunity for the children, it’s fantastic. They are the future of our industry, and we need engineers and we need top quality graduates. And these, are going to be the future. You can see it in their experiences that are gaining here and their enthusiasm and its what we need, it is the future.”
At the end of each week, proud parents and guardians were welcomed to a showcase event where students presented their final prototypes on stage, sharing their designs, findings and insights. These sessions gave young people the chance to develop their public speaking skills and demonstrate the passion for engineering they had built throughout the camp.
Parents were quick to share their gratitude for the programme. One said: “I just wanted to send a quick email to thank you, Liam, Ben, Caroline, Emily, Maddie, Nathan, Sammie and the rest of the TILG and GE Vernon a team for a wonderful week. It’s been really special to see how much Shey has enjoyed the week and a real spark in her passion for engineering. She has come home every day telling us every detail of everything that’s happened. This week couldn’t have happened without every single one of you making it so memorable, educational and inspirational for Shey and clearly all of the young people that were there. Thank you so much.”
Another added: “I just wanted to make contact to thank everyone involved for the fantastic opportunity provided with the Engineering Experience. M**** got so much out of the week – she thoroughly enjoyed the activities planned and learnt a lot about the processes an engineer has to go through. From a parents perspective, it was reassuring to have such a well organised course, with such great communication. I was also very grateful for the specific support put in place for M***** – having an autism diagnosis, she is much more comfortable with a clear structure and she really appreciated having someone (Caroline) to make contact with if she was unsure about anything. I know that this experience has helped her confidence to grow considerably and she was delighted to receive her award for being ‘Engineer of the Day’. Wishing you all the best of luck with future experiences.”
Another successful year of inspiring the next generation of engineers. Congratulations to all students who took part.
As we move into the 2025/26 academic year, The Inspirational Learning Group will continue to expand opportunities for young people through the Next Engineers Discovery Programme. These sessions, delivered free to schools across Staffordshire, give Year 9 pupils an introduction to engineering, broadening their knowledge and inspiring future career choices.
The Inspirational Learning Group attends International Education Conference in the heart of China’s financial district
Financial Street, Beijing, a landmark in China’s financial sector, well-known for its concentration of financial institutions; integrating decision-making, information exchange and international cooperation.
Ben Dyer, co-founder of The Inspirational Learning Group and Rebecca Clarke, Head of Education and Programmes, were recently invited to participate in the Financial Street Youth Summit hosted by the Global Innovation Center, Beijing Financial Street Education Investment Company, Beijing Financial Street International Education Technology Company and SKT Education Group – The Inspirational Learning Group’s international delivery partner in China and Hong Kong. The Global Innovation Center integrates government, industry, academia and finance to promote global innovation exchange, working with leading Nobel prize winners and prestigious education institutions across the world.
The theme of the 2025 World Youth Forum was Driving innovative business models with Digital Finance, with speakers representing a wide range of businesses and financial institutions. Ben represented TILG in a panel discussion focussed on Talent Demand and Career Development in the Era of Digital Finance. From the discussions it was apparent that all nations are facing the same issues in relation to skills development in the face of an ever-changing employment market driven by rapidly developing technology.
Ben stated that technologies such as AI, data science and machine learning are no longer niche disciplines, they are skills that every young person must learn and understand. However, he also noted that soft skills such as empathy and interpersonal communication are the key drivers for fostering innovation and addressing and resolving crises. These skills are essential for the development and integration of new technologies into business and finance. Furthermore, he pointed out that improving work experience opportunities for younger students is crucial in enhancing their academic capabilities, stressing how vital it is to foster collaboration between industry and academia to better equip learners with a broader range of practical skills.
Day 2 of the conference was focussed predominantly on the education sector with an overarching theme of Emerging talent challenges in the AI era with key- note speakers from including, Zhao Gang -Director General of the Global Innovation Center, Wang Yuxi – General Manager of Financial Street Education and Li Quan – Director of The Financial Research Institute at Nankai University.
Ben joined a panel discussion entitled AI empowered innovation and new competency education and interdisciplinary practice, which looked at the challenges in bringing together different curriculum areas and employers to promote skills development in an interdisciplinary, cross-curricular approach. Ben asserted that AI can be a valuable tool, particularly in the field of education where it can help learners acquire knowledge faster and more effectively but emphasised the importance of teaching the skills to critically evaluate the information generated by AI. The panel acknowledged that the future of education is not built by one, but by all and that an educational ecosystem should be developed where AI empowers learners to thrive.
Rebecca was invited to join education experts from across the globe for a further panel discussion Reforming Youth Competency Assessment in the Digital Economy. Rebecca acknowledged that, like many other countries represented at the conference, the system of assessment in the UK did not accurately reflect the skills and competencies that employers are seeking in new hires. Echoing the thoughts of the other panel members, she emphasised how programmes like The National Careers Challenge can bring together employers, educators and different curriculum areas to help learners of all academic abilities to develop and recognise their transferable skills. Rebecca also stressed the importance of recognising these skills formally, showing that they are of equal importance to the more traditional academic competencies.
Following the conference, Ben and Rebecca were invited to join a meeting with representatives from the Financial Street local government, where it was agreed that it was of critical importance to support the development of entrepreneurial talent within the education sector, bringing together educators and employers from high- growth sectors including data, digital finance, digital broadcasting, animation and VR.
Finally, delegates were delighted to visit Beijing Financial Street Runze school, a high-end international school providing education to students aged 4 to 18. The name Runze means ‘Hidden but influential, wise and ambitious,’with the school principal, Liu Changming, offering students a holistic education and a rich extra-curricular programme with a strong emphasis on drama and the arts.
It was an honour and privilege for The Inspirational Learning Group to be invited to attend this conference which has highlighted the global demand for multi-disciplinary, employer-led programmes which bring together employers and educators to prepare learners for future employment and career success. The conference also offered the opportunity to forge a closer relationship with SKT Education and to explore further TILG programmes that could be developed and delivered to schools in the region.
Students from Staffordshire Primary Schools celebrate “Start Small; Dream Big” achievements
As part of the “Start Small; Dream Big” initiative with the Stoke and Staffordshire Careers Hub, The Inspirational Learning Group were delighted to welcome students from 8 primary schools to Keele University for the initiative’s celebration event.
The ‘Start Small; Dream Big’ Primary Careers Pilot, developed by the Careers and Enterprise Company, is designed to ignite young imaginations and raise awareness of their future world of work. The programme brings learning alive by linking curriculum learning to careers and providing opportunities for students to meet inspiring employers, enabling them to explore different jobs and understand the skills that they will need for their future.
Supported by local employer GivEnergy, over 40 primary schools from Staffordshire have had the opportunity to take part in the initiative which has seen students learning about the skills of the future, whilst exploring sustainability and green careers through a video-led challenge developed by our Head of Curriculum, Education and Quality Rebecca Clarke.
The 5 session programme culminated in the students pitching their own innovative concept that could be developed and sold by GivEnergy in the future.
On 26th March, over 60 students from 8 primary schools joined The Inspirational Learning Group, GivEnergy and Stoke and Staffordshire Careers Hub at the Westminster Theatre in Keele University to share their innovations, complete an engineering activity and enjoy a delicious pizza lunch!
Hosted by The Inspirational Learning Group, we were delighted to see some incredible presentations from the students – innovative ideas and confidently taking to the stage, it’s no mean feat for the students, some of whom were as young as Year 3! The students were an absolute credit to themselves and their schools and with these young people at the forefront of sustainability, the future is looking very bright!
Dan Mears – Business Development & Partnerships Manager for The Inspirational Learning Group said, It’s been a privilege to support the Careers & Enterprise Company’s Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Careers Hub with the rollout of the Start Small; Dream Big Primary pilot in the region. The programme has seen collaboration between educators and industry to deliver a teacher encounter, to arm primary educators with the knowledge, insights and awareness of Careers Related Learning, along with a comprehensive CPD programme and an exciting interactive activity for their students.
We’re grateful to the Careers Hub for placing their trust in us to deliver the programme successfully, appreciative of GivEnergy – our partner from industry who enabled us to deliver some key insights into the sustainability and green economy sector – and, Keele University for hosting the celebration event. Most importantly, I’d like to thank the teachers and students who took part in the pilot for their enthusiasm and commitment to embrace the ethos of the programme over the past year.
We look forward to continuing and expanding our work in the primary sector, as we know how critical early intervention is for young people, to prevent life-limiting stereotypes and perceived barriers”.
Want to learn more about how we can support your company to engage with young people and develop your early career talent pipeline?
The Inspirational Learning Group announce results of careers survey
Earlier this month, BBC Bitesize announced the results of the Bitesize Careers survey 2025. Over 4,000 young people shared their dream jobs with the BBC educational resource as part of their annual survey which explores the career aspirations for teenagers in the UK aged 13 to 16.
Maintaining its top spot for the second consecutive year was “Doctor”, with “Engineer” and “Teacher” remaining in the top 3 preferred professions. Notably, “Pilot” entered the top 10 for the first time this year, with “Building Trade” also making a reappearance after dropping out of the list and “Artist” not appearing in this year’s list after ranking 8th in last year’s survey.
Top 10 jobs teens want – based on the results of the Bitesize Careers Survey 2025
1 – Doctor
2 – Engineer
3 – Teacher
4 – Vet
5 – Police Officer
6 – Lawyer
7- Nurse
8 – Footballer
9 – Building Trade
10 – Pilot
At The Inspirational Learning Group, we have also been conducting our own careers survey and have asked students who have taken part in The National Careers Challenge during this academic year to share their career aspirations. Unsurprisingly, the careers on our list are very similar to the BBC Bitesize version (albeit a couple of order differences):
Top 10 jobs teens want – based on the results of The Inspirational Learning Group Survey 2024/25
1 – Footballer
2 – Lawyer
3 – Doctor
4 – Engineer
5 – Actor – not mentioned in BBC Bitesize Survey
6 – Teacher
7 – Pilot
8 – Vet
9 – Architect – not mentioned in BBC Bitesize Survey
10 – Police Officer
On the surface, it could be said that the results of the survey are positive. These roles reflect young people’s desire to educate and help future generations, in addition to highlighting interests in justice and problem-solving roles. However, what is highlighted so clearly in both lists is the disconnect between emerging careers and young people’s career aspirations. Careers that include emerging trends and technologies such as renewable energy, cyber-security, big data and AI are nowhere to be seen in either BBC Bitesize or The Inspirational Learning Group’s lists.
Is this the students’ genuine oversight to their future labour markets, or are young people blissfully unaware of the jobs of the future?
The majority of the roles included in both lists are traditional roles, perhaps the careers that their parents have followed, or those that they see on television? In these uncertain times, it could be that young people are preferring roles that are well established, reliable and respected within educational institutions.
Emerging careers are often less tangible because they are still in the early stages of development. With limited case-studies available, it can be challenging to fully grasp or relate to these future career paths, particularly when they do not relate closely to the more traditional subjects being taught in schools. How do young people gain exposure to new technologies and emerging skills if these are not represented within the National Curriculum?
Worryingly, there will be significant skills gaps in the future if this issue is not addressed rapidly. As the old saying goes, “if you can’t see it, you can’t be it!”.
At The Inspirational Leaning Group, we believe that it is not just schools’ responsibility to ensure that young people are as well-equipped for the future as they can be – it’s everyone’s responsibility. Parents, schools, employers and providers such as ourselves need to ensure that young people have the opportunity to explore these rapidly emerging sectors, to meet inspirational employees and develop the key skills that they will need to become successful in their future careers.
We are dedicated to providing young people with innovative opportunities to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. By working together with employers, we can empower the next generation to embrace new technologies, explore emerging industries, and cultivate a passion for lifelong learning.
We are committed to making sure that every young person is inspired, prepared, and ready to shape their future with optimism and success.
Ready to explore how we can collaborate and make a difference together?
The Inspirational Learning Group Co-Founders Open New Learning Centre for First Bus
On Thursday 13th March, TILG co-founders Ben and Michael Dyer had the honour of officially opening First Bus’s new learning centre in Hanley, Stoke on Trent.
This cutting edge facility is part of a ground breaking partnership with the Unite Union, aimed at boosting educational opportunities for 1,600 frontline employees across Manchester, the Midlands, and South Yorkshire.
Ben and Michael were thrilled to be part of the launch on March 13th. Ben shared, “At The Inspirational Learning Group, we’re passionate about empowering young people with vital enterprise and employability skills. The vision behind First Bus’s learning centre perfectly aligns with our mission and as proud Stoke on Trent natives, we couldn’t be more excited to help open this important space.”
The National Careers Challenge in partnership with NatWest Thrive – Grand Finals are back for 2025!
We are delighted to announce the details of the biggest event of the academic year, The National Careers Challenge in partnership with NatWest Thrive Grand Finals!
Bigger and better than ever before, this year’s Grand Finals will be held on Tuesday 8th July at London’s iconic Barbican Centre. Not only in the Barbican Centre the largest performing arts centre in Europe, it is also the perfect setting for a full day of inspiration and career exploration.
Schools, get ready for an unforgettable day as we celebrate the innovative students who have taken part in the challenge this academic year.
We cannot wait to welcome so many students, teachers and sponsors to our BIGGEST event of the year!
Mark your calendars, spread the word and stay tuned to our socials for more exciting updates.
Let’s make #TNCCFinals25 an event to remember!
Staffordshire’s aspiring engineers visit world famous JCB headquarters and innovative Farm Urban
As part of their February sessions, students in Cohort 2 and 3 of Next Engineers Academy visited the JCB Headquarters in Rocester and Farm Urban in Liverpool. These visits provided a unique opportunity for students to connect with cutting-edge engineering practices and gain insights into how engineering is shaping the future and the world of work.
JCB World Headquarters, Staffordshire – “Always looking for a better way”
Our Cohort 2 students had the opportunity to venture behind the scenes of JCB’s world famous diggers with a unique tour of the museum and factory. Students learnt about the history of JCB – a company that evolved from a small farm machinery manufacturer to a global leader in construction equipment – and were able to get up close and personal to the JCB manufacturing process – risk assessed of course!
JCB employs thousands of people across its manufacturing, research, development and engineering operations in Staffordshire, making it one of the largest employers in Staffordshire. Coupled with JCB’s ongoing recognition of the importance of investing in the future workforce and offering graduate schemes, apprenticeships and internships, the tour provided the young people with valuable experience and future options for their careers in engineering and manufacturing.
Farm Urban – Healthier and more sustainable solutions to the broken food system.
As part of their “Feed a Family” project work, our Cohort 3 students travelled across the M6 from our base in Stafford to Liverpool to visit Farm Urban – a company dedicated to integrating technology and urban farming.
Farm Urban is focused on developing sustainable food systems using innovative engineering solutions to address the challenges of urbanisation and food insecurity. For engineering students interested in sustainability, this was an invaluable experience and provided our students with an opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge of engineering principles in a real-world, sustainable context!
Key takeaways for our Academy students
Both groups found the field trips an invaluable opportunity to reinforce the importance of real-world problem solving and continuous innovation within the world of engineering. The experience of visiting the two sites demonstrated to our students the wide variety of opportunities within the sector and inspired them to consider their future career paths within the exciting world of engineering!
What’s Your Dream? Exclusive opportunity for your students!
Here’s the best part: your students now have an exclusive chance to pitch their business ideas directly to Simon at the TNCC finals this July!
Simon is deeply passionate about helping young people develop the skills they need to succeed. This is a unique opportunity for your students to learn, grow, and even have their big idea seen by one of the leading entrepreneurs in the country!
Encourage your students to dream big and take a chance on their entrepreneurial vision.
The future is in their hands, and we can’t wait to see what they create!
How can your students get involved? It’s super simple:
Dream Big! Whether they’re entering solo or as a team, students should film themselves pitching their business idea. There are no limits to creativity – no right or wrong answers, just an energised, well thought out pitch that showcases their passion and vision!
2. Submit Their Pitch! They can send us their video in any of the following ways:
Upload it to Instagram or TikTok and tag @simonsquibb and @TILG_UK
Our team will review all the videos and reach out to invite the most exciting pitches to the TNCC finals to pitch live to Simon!
(Please note: By submitting, students agree to have their video shared on our social media platforms.)
Message from our ambassador, Simon Squibb …
“Hi! I’m Simon Squibb and I’m thrilled to be this year’s ambassador for The National Careers Challenge in partnership with NatWest Thrive.
You might have seen me on TikTok asking people to share their dreams, with me and my team helping to make it happen!
We want to help young entrepreneurs to turn their dreams into reality and budding entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas directly to me, through The National Careers Challenge.
We’ll be selecting the very best pitches to join us at the National Grand Finals in July and I look forward to seeing you there!”
(Please note: By submitting, students agree to have their video shared on our social media platforms.)
Transformative mental health training & resources: TILG launches online programme for adults in educational settings
Building on the tremendous success of The Oli Leigh Trust Mental Health Challenge, The Inspirational Learning Group (TILG) is thrilled to announce the launch of its comprehensive online mental health training resources for adults in educational settings. The invaluable resources will be available to schools across the UK completely free of charge as part of TILG’s exciting new phase in its three-year partnership with The Oli Leigh Trust.
In September, TILG introduced The Oli Leigh Trust Mental Health Challenge, offering secondary schools across the UK free access to a set of impactful resources and challenge designed to raise awareness around mental health. Since its launch, over 170 schools have already received access to the challenge, and 10 schools have been selected to receive a fully funded delivery of the challenge, facilitated by TILG’s expert team.
Now, TILG is expanding its mission by offering free online training specifically for adults working in education—from primary schools to higher education institutions. Developed in collaboration with The Oli Leigh Trust, these resources are designed to empower educators, staff, and other school professionals to recognise the signs when someone is struggling with mental health, whether it’s a student, colleague, or loved one. With 60 minutes of engaging online learning, the training will equip users with essential skills to make a real difference in supporting mental health in schools.
The training features six comprehensive modules, each aimed at building confidence and knowledge around key mental health topics:
What does it mean to be emotionally healthy?
What can trigger a mental health episode?
Spotting the signs
Mental health first aid
Signposting and support
Rebecca Clarke, Head of Education, Curriculum and Quality at TILG, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Michelle and the incredible team at The Oli Leigh Trust to create this life-changing training. Every adult who interacts with young people in an educational environment holds a crucial role in supporting their mental health. This training has been carefully designed to reflect that responsibility, and we are so proud that every school in the UK can access it—at absolutely no cost.”
TILG encourages all schools to take advantage of this incredible opportunity by expressing their interest using this link, ensuring their staff can access these essential resources and training to make a positive, lasting impact on mental health in education.
