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.”

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!

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!

Calling all future entrepreneurs!

Earlier this year, we were excited to announce Simon Squibb, entrepreneur and founder of HelpBnk.com, as the official ambassador for The National Careers Challenge 2024/25. 

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:

1. 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 using the JotForm here
• Email it to us directly dream@tilg.co.uk
• 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.)

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.

In an exciting first for the country, TILG recently hosted the first Primary School Teacher Encounter as part of the ‘Start Small; Dream Big’ initiative, in partnership with the Stoke and Staffordshire Careers Hub. This innovative programme was supported by local employer; GivEnergy, and will help North Staffordshire primary school pupils to dream big and explore the possibilities of their future careers.

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 pupils to meet inspiring employers, enabling students to explore different jobs and understand the skills that they will need for their future.

GivEnergy is the UK’s number 1 provider of residential battery storage and is a perfect example of the future opportunities available to today’s young learners. With a strong focus on innovative technology and sustainability, GivEnergy’s headquarters in Newcastle-under-Lyme and manufacturing plant in Stoke-on-Trent employ over 100 people locally, making it an exciting potential employer for young people across North Staffordshire.  We were delighted to collaborate with their not-for-profit education arm;, GivEducation and to support teachers in shaping tomorrow’s innovative workforce.

In January, over 30 primary school teachers from across North Staffordshire joined TILG’s Head of Curriculum, Education & Quality Rebecca Clarke and Partnerships Manager, Dan Mears at GivEnergy to participate in the first of the project’s primary school teacher encounters in the country!  Joined by Joe Basketts, Education Director at GivEducation, and George Rawding, Head of Communications at GivEnergy, teachers had the opportunity to engage directly with staff members from the respective organisations and were provided with practical examples and resources to enable them to embed careers into their primary curriculum. 

As part of the programme,  40 schools which have signed up to participate in the programme will receive access to a video-led challenge where pupils will recognise their skills as the employees of the future, whilst exploring sustainability and green careers.  The 5 session programme will culminate in students pitching their own innovative concept that could be developed and sold by GivEnergy in the future.  The interactive challenge resources will be made available to teachers via TILG’s proprietary online learning platform; LightBulb, in addition to a delivery guide and supporting resources to ensure that all pupils across the city are provided with a consistent and impactful learning experience. 

Joe Basketts, Education Director at GivEducation said, ““By allowing young learners the time to focus on their futures this early on in their school careers, we can not only contextualise learning outcomes for them but also inspire them to dream bigger when it comes to the type of careers they could achieve once they leave education. We’re immensely proud to be leading the way on this initiative, and we hope this can be a catalyst for other businesses nationwide to follow suit.”

Dan Mears, Partnerships Manager at TILG said: “It’s been a pleasure to support the Stoke & Staffs Careers Hub in rolling out The Careers & Enterprise Company’s ‘Start Small; Dream Big Primary Pilot across North Staffordshire.  As part of the programme, almost 40 teachers have taken part in the very first Primary Teacher encounter in the country and these interactions are so important because it allows us to impart knowledge into the people who are directly inspiring our future workforce. By equipping young people with key employability skills such as communication, problem solving and teamwork, we are better preparing them for an ever changing jobs market.  

A representative from The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Careers Hub said:  “A huge thank you to GivEnergy and GivEducation for showcasing how green tech is shaping the future, The Inspirational Learning Group for their unwavering support and all of the dedicated teachers who joined us, bringing passion and energy to embedding careers education into their primary curriculum”. These encounters are about more than just professional development; they’re about igniting a spark for the future in the minds of young learners. By empowering teachers with knowledge, resources, and industry connections, we’re building a brighter future where careers education begins early—because it’s never too soon to dream big!”

The programme will culminate in a celebratory finals event to be held in conjunction with Keele University on 26th of March 2025.

Over the last 2 years, 300 aspiring engineers from across Staffordshire have taken part in Next Engineers : Engineering Experience – a week-long programme which enables young people to become immersed in the engineering design process and complete design challenges inspired by real-world scenarios.  The experience enables students to forge connections with other aspiring engineers and transform them into enthusiastic explorers of the future.

The Next Engineers : Staffordshire Engineering Experience, which has become a firm favourite in The Inspirational Learning Group’s calendar, will return in August 2025 and is aimed at students who have just completed Years 9 and 10 who live in the greater Staffordshire area.  

“I’m interested in the Next Engineers : Staffordshire Engineering Experience – what can I expect?”

Throughout the week-long experience, 100 students will be introduced to the engineering process through design challenges inspired by real-world scenarios.  Students will also take part in field trips to University of Staffordshire and GE Vernova site, with opportunities to work closely with a professional engineering faculty and facilitation staff from The Inspirational Learning Group.  

The week is guaranteed to spark young people’s interest in engineering career paths and to raise aspirations for their future educational paths, whether that be university or apprenticeships.

The experience is open to students who either live or go to school in Staffordshire.

“This sounds great! Where and when is the experience?”

Engineering Experience will be held at TILG HQ  – Stafford Education and Enterprise Park, Stafford, ST18 0BF.

Experience sessions will run daily from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday each week and young people will be able to choose their preferred week:

• Monday 4th to Friday 8th August
  Monday 11th to Friday 15th August
  

TILG will arrange transport to and from each session for each participant (usually utilising the student’s school as the meeting point) – pick up and drop off times will be communicated to participant’s parents and guardians prior to the start of the experience.

“How much will the experience cost?”

The experience is completely FREE of charge and all young people will also recieve breakfast and lunch each day. This also includes a packed lunch for the field trip day!

“This sounds like something I would like to be involved in! How do I go about applying?”

Applications are now open! Use the link below to apply for your spot:

https://www.nextengineers.org/form/staffordshire-engineering-experience-application-2025

The closing date for applications is Friday 28th March, with successful applicants notified by Friday 25th April. Eligible students will be selected based on a lottery system, with students who have not attended a previous Engineering Experience given preference over students who participated in 2024.

For further information on the application process, please visit:

https://www.nextengineers.org/how-apply-engineering-camp

Don’t just take our word for it! We asked our young people and parents from previous years to share their thoughts about Engineering Experience …

“A fantastic week and my son enjoyed every minute. Thank you to all of your team for giving him such a wonderful and memorable experience” – Parent of 2024 participant

“We discovered that being enthusiastic and learning from mistakes is an important part of engineering” – 2024 participant

“We’ve loved this week! It’s shown us that engineering isn’t just for men, it’s for everyone!” – 2023 participant

Ben Dyer, co-founder of The Inspirational Learning Group said, We are delighted to be running the Next Engineers : Staffordshire Engineering Experience for the third year.  In previous years, we have been blown away by the number of applications that we receive and we expect similar application figures this year – demonstrating the significance of the experience to young people in the Staffordshire area,  We are so proud to be a part of this initiative with Next Engineers and GE Vernova and look forward to welcoming 100 aspiring engineers to our HQ this summer!”.

In today’s rapidly changing world where 85% of future jobs are yet to be created, it is vital that young people are equipped with the crucial skills, mindset and knowledge in order to thrive in their future world of work.  

Here at The Inspirational Learning Group (TILG), we are changing the way that young people are educated about their future and are dedicated to enabling young people to develop the key skills that are not easily taught in the classroom. 

Here’s why you should choose TILG to support your school’s career journey …

Engaging and relevant learning experiences

Since 2013, TILG has been at the forefront of careers and enterprise education, creating and implementing innovative challenges and programs for young people that are both relevant and engaging.

Our diverse portfolio of challenges includes The National Careers Challenge in partnership with NatWest Thrive, The National Skills Challenge, Stocks and Shares Challenge, Alien Apocalypse Team Building programme, alongside The Oli Leigh Mental Health Challenge and My Perfect University programmes.  All of which will enrich your students’ skills, ignite their ambitions, and foster meaningful career connections.

Complimenting our challenge portfolio, our one-of-a-kind curricula are the first of their kind and will revolutionise your school’s careers strategy.  Fully mapped against The Gatsby Benchmarks Skills Builder and the Careers Framework, our fully resourced, video-led workshops ensure consistency throughout your whole school and with a focus on either careers or enterprise.  Delivered over the course of day to create a drop-down session, or weekly as part of your PSHE curriculum, our Careers and Enterprise Curricula are an excellent way to engage your whole school in their careers journey.

Flexible options

With over 13 years experience of engaging with schools and teachers, TILG understands what works well in schools and what causes teachers a headache when organising an off timetable day for a whole year group!  

We are flexible to meet the specific needs of your school and will work with you to ensure that your challenge day is a success…

Struggling to find a space large enough to fit in a whole year group?  No problem, our team can deliver any challenge in classrooms.

Unable to take a year group off timetable for a whole day?  Our challenges can be delivered on a carousel basis, with students taking part in a condensed version of the challenge.

Proving difficult to receive sign-off on delivery cost?  All of our challenges are also housed on our online platform, Lightbulb Online, enabling  teachers to deliver the challenge with full resources to your students at a reduced cost.

Stress free booking and expert facilitation

Our facilitation teams are experts in all things challenge delivery!  

From your first conversation with our dedicated sales team, to your pre-delivery call and then to the delivery day itself, our  team will take the stress of planning out of your hands and utiulise our extensive experience in schools to ensure that your challenge day runs smoothly.  

Once you have decided which of our challenges would be best suited to your pupils, our team will help you select a date, book your school in and arrange a pre-delivery call to make sure that you’re ready for a fantastic day!

Our delivery team will arrive at your school, resources in hand, one hour prior to the challenge start time and will take the lead on expertly engaging with your students.

Raising aspirations

Raising students’ aspirations is not only about improving academic outcomes, but also about fostering well-rounded, motivated individuals who are prepared for life beyond school. 

Since 2013, our vision has been to connect young people with the opportunities available to them, ensuring that exclusive of their background or ability, young people are well-equipped for their transition into the workplace through their experience.

The challenge final days are a highlight in TILG’s calendar with winning teams from our challenges competing at events throughout the year.  Our finals events have been held at prestigious locations including Wembley Stadium and The ICC in Birmingham with students seeing their winning ideas made into reality.

However, our challenge days aren’t just about winning.

From exploring unknown career paths, to pitching their ideas to their peers, all of our challenges enable students to build confidence, raise aspirations and achieve things that they hadn’t thought possible at the start of the challenge day.

Proven track record of sucess

The statistics say it all; Over 700,000 students from over 370 schools have now engaged with TILG!  

We’re proud to share some amazing figures from students who have already taken part in our challenges this academic year… 

80% rated their challenge day “Excellent” 

88% now understand the skills that employers are looking for 

85% said that their challenge day has helped to develop skills that will be useful in the workplace!

Long term career success

At TILG we love what we do and are dedicated to our cause.  We could harp on about how the skills learnt through TILG’s programmes have enabled young people to go onto amazing things!  

But don’t just take our word for it …

“It’s really important to run these kinds of events in schools to enable students to see outside people coming in and to mix with different organisations and businesses.  The challenges also encourage the students to work with different people and bring them out of their comfort zone, something that schools aren’t always particularly great at doing.  I think every school should take part!” – Head of Year 7 at Oasis Academy Immingham.

“TNCC taught me valuable skills in business and people management, communication and leadership.  I also grew a passion to be the best that I can be which has inspired my career.  I’ve joined the RAF as a commissioned officer and am now training to be an air traffic controller”  – Frances Bishop,  2013 Most Enterprising Girl

“Amazing support and guidance from the facilitation team. Very clear instructions and all the students had a fun day learning and presenting their project” – Year 7 teacher, Cleethorpes Academy

“I really enjoyed the process of working through the challenges and eventually ending up with a complete presentation” –  Student. Chesham Grammar School

Whether you are a returning customer, or are hearing about The Inspirational Learning Group for the first time, our team is ready to book your school’s challenge delivery day.

To learn more, discuss available dates and secure your booking for this academic year, please call our team on 01785 875375 or email us at enquiries@tilg.co.uk

We look forward to empowering your students together!

What an incredible year 2024 has been for The Inspirational Learning Group! 

We’ve reached more young people than ever, blending innovative, engaging methods with our tried-and-true challenges. Along the way, we’ve been transforming how young people view and prepare for their futures, creating opportunities for growth and inspiration like never before.

Expanding our diverse portfolio of challenges

We are proud to have engaged and positively influenced students in over 370 schools across 2024.  From Glasgow to Torquay and Northern Ireland to Sunderland, our facilitation teams have travelled the length and breadth of the country delivering 13 separate challenges to 70,000 students enabling them to develop the crucial skills for the world of work.

Our flagship challenge, The National Careers Challenge in partnership with NatWest Thrive was delivered for the 13th year with sponsors NatWest Thrive, Air Products, JCB, AtkinsRéalis. We were delighted to welcome home improvement retailer Wickes and  flag carrier airline of the UK,  British Airways as sponsors for the 24/25 academic year with NatWest Thrive and Air Products. 

The National Skills Challenge in partnership with NatWest Thrive was delivered to 1300 students across the country. NatWest Thrive funded 12 deliveries at colleges aligned with their chosen accelerator hubs enabling us to engage with students in Northern Ireland and Scotland for the first time. 

Alongside TILG favourites including the Stocks and Shares Challenge, Team Building Challenge and My Perfect University, we have also delivered brand new challenges including the JCB Solutions Challenge, Wickes Enterprise Challenge, IET Faraday Challenge and My Digital Future in collaboration with Staffordshire based companies Wavemaker CIC (consortium lead), Rapuru and Framescape. 

Announcing our 2024 ambassador

We were delighted to announce Simon Squibb,  Entrepreneur and founder of HelpBnk.com as the official ambassador of The National Careers Challenge 2024/25, in partnership with NatWest Thrive.

Known for his viral move of buying a staircase in London and slapping on a Ring doorbell on it where folks can pitch their dreams, Simon is on a mission to help 10 million people kick start their businesses.

Simon first became associated with The Inspirational Learning Group during our 2024 TNCC finals where he inspired our aspiring entrepreneurs on HelpBnk‘s trade stand and joined our esteemed afternoon judging panel, live-streaming the National Finals to his 5 million followers!

Simon is passionate about empowering young people to build the skills that they need to thrive in life and we’re incredibly excited to continue our work with him and his team over the coming year.

Inspiring the next generation of engineers in Staffordshire

2024 marked our second year as the UK delivery partner for Next Engineers and inspiring future generations of aspiring engineers.  Over 6,000 students have taken part in transformative learning experiences with us, increasing the diversity of young people in engineering.  

Year 9 students in Staffordshire completed hands-on activities in their classrooms to expand their understanding of what engineering is all about through the Discovery programme and we were thrilled to welcome 100 young people to our HQ in Stafford in the summer as part of the fortnight long Experience programme.  

In addition to this, we also welcomed back 100 students as part of the Academy programme – a 3 year development programme which encourages students (ages 15 to 18)  to think and act like engineers, all whilst preparing them to advance to higher education. 

We were delighted to celebrate our inaugural Academy cohort who graduated the programme this summer.  32 students from 16 secondary schools across Staffordshire completed the programme and celebrated their success at a graduation ceremony at Uttoxeter Racecourse.  From Mechanical Engineering Degrees at university, to Civil Engineering apprenticeships, to taking a gap year to travel the world, our “builders of tomorrow” are going on to achieve remarkable things.

Shining a light on future skills

Through our new,  interactive, bespoke platform Lightbulb, teachers are now able to access high-quality careers education content that is accessible anywhere at any time.  

The platform is home to all of our challenges, curricula (including the Enterprise and Careers Curriculums) and careers information to help young people develop their skills for the future.  

In addition to these, teachers can also access our free resources, including The Oli Leigh Trust Mental Health Challenge and on-demand content ensuring that their students develop the skills needed to make informed decisions about their futures.

New projects for 2024

Complimenting our challenges, our team has been hard at work delivering bespoke projects throughout the year, expanding our reach to new audiences in previously untapped areas for TILG.  

As part of our 3-year partnership with The Oli Leigh Trust, we launched The Oli Leigh Trust Mental Health Challenge and resources which can be accessed free of charge.  Every school in the UK has the opportunity to access the valuable resources and it was also announced that bespoke training will also be made available to all adults in educational settings to ensure a holistic and well-rounded approach to mental health training from January 2025.

The Yes Project, in partnership with YMCA North Staffordshire and UKSPF, has seen us creating opportunities for the young people of Stoke on Trent to find direction into further education and employment.  Through work preparation coaching, CV building and interview preparation, we have collaborated with other partners to bring life chances for young people together in one place.

We are pleased to be the Regional lead for the Careers and Enterprise Company’s “Start Small; Dream Big” primary careers programme.  The 12 month programme will see our team deliver CPD training for teachers in 48 primary schools in Staffordshire, explore what good careers education looks like at primary school level  and collaborating with GivEnergy to provide those teachers with an employer encounter.  

From primary schools to adult learning, the Multiply project is a fully funded government scheme offering maths courses to adults aged 19 and over and this year we were announced as a training provider for the project earlier in the year.  Our team has been engaging with local employers and parents to access free courses to enable adults to feel more confident in their own numeracy abilities. 

Celebrating young people’s success

No mention of our 2024 highlights would be complete without recognising the events that we’ve hosted this year!

The year kicked off with a bang as we officially launched The National Careers Challenge, in partnership with NatWest Thrive, for the 2024 academic year at the House of Lords.  

This was closely followed by the “JCB Regional Challenge” finals held at JCB Headquarters in Rocester and the “My Digital Future Challenge” finals at the University of Staffordshire. 

On Tuesday 10th July, The National Careers Challenge in partnership with NatWest Thrive held its 12th Grand Finals at Doncaster Racecourse.   We welcomed over a thousand students, teachers and business guests to our biggest finals event since 2020! From students in fancy dress, to impressive prototypes and mascots, the entrance to Doncaster Racecourse was awash with so much excitement and creativity … true testament to the hard work that goes into the schools preparing for the annual finals.

We also celebrated our Next Engineers Cohort 1 student’s achievements at their graduation ceremony at Uttoxeter Racecourse before welcoming students to NatWest HQ and Wickes Support Centre to crown our National Skills Challenge champions and Wickes Wellbeing Challenge champions respectively. 

Expanding our international reach

Following the launch of the “School of the Future” challenge with AtkisRéalis for Year 10 students as part of 2023/24 The National Careers Challenge in partnership with NatWest Thrive, we were excited that the challenge launched in the UAE.  70 students from the Dubai English Speaking College were supported by representatives from AtkinsRéalis as they worked their way through the virtual challenge, which saw students creating a “School of the Future” focused on sustainability and community support.  

TILG also celebrated the achievements of 50 students from China through our partnership with SKT Education & Beyond and welcomed the students to The National Careers Challenge finals at Doncaster Racecourse.

We are also exploring further opportunities within India and additional opportunities with the UK which will ensure that TILG continues to grow, with increasing reach and influence in the education sector.

A message from our co-founders

Ben Dyer, co-founder of The Inspirational Learning Group said, “ It has been an extraordinary year for The Inspirational Learning Group, we have engaged with even more young people than we ever have done and explored new ways to interact with students. We would like to thank all of our sponsors and corporate clients that we have worked with in 2024 for their ongoing support and we are also incredibly proud of the corporate relationships that we have built this year and look forward to these coming to fruition in the near future. Our dedicated team of facilitators, operational and sales professionals all share the same passion for careers education and motivating students to succeed and this is what truly makes TILG work – thank you.  We look forward to engaging and inspiring with even more young people in 2025!”.

We are thrilled to share that The Inspirational Learning Group has been announced as a winner at the Family Business Awards UK.

The Inspirational Learning Group was founded by Stoke on Trent cousins, Ben and Michael Dyer and since 2013, Ben, Michael and their team have gone on to engage and positively influence almost 700,000 students across the world, changing the way that young people are educated about their future world of work and skills.   Ben and Michael are proof that no matter where you come from, or what your background, you can achieve and make your place in the world. 

Through Ben and Michael’s drive to succeed, the company has become the outreach project of choice for large, high-profile organisations and they were delighted to announce NatWest, Air Products, Wickes and British Airways as the sponsors for the 2024/25 National Careers Challenge.  The team have completed over 5,000 visits to schools and have worked with university consortiums and challenge partners to ensure that every school that would like to engage with the challenge has the opportunity to, despite financial challenges of the school. 

In addition to The National Careers Challenge and other challenges, TILG’s diverse portfolio of outreach work also includes being the UK partner of choice for General Electric and Next Engineers (to increase the number of young engineers – especially female identifying – within Staffordshire), the Kickstart scheme with the government and Department of Work and Pensions and student outreach partners for several universities.  We are increasingly relied upon to create high-quality, bespoke education initiatives to support development, social mobility and inclusion. 

Alongside the national portfolio of work, Ben and Michael remain dedicated to serving their local community of Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire.  Through fully funded deliveries of bespoke challenges, Ben and Michael ensure that students have access to high-quality careers programmes to equip them for the future. The “My Digital Future” challenge saw our team engage with every secondary school in the city to encourage their students to learn what digital skills are (and will be) in demand by local employers.  The Stoke on Trent Ceramic Challenge enabled younger students, including those in primary schools, to learn about their local labour market and improve their career aspirations. 

Behind Mike and Ben, is a dedicated team of facilitators, operational and sales professionals who all share the same passion for careers education and motivating students to succeed. Whether based in our HQ in Stafford, delivering the highest quality programmes and service to our service-users or travelling all over the country engaging with students and teachers in schools, our team are enthusiastic and dedicated. 

TILG exemplifies the strength of family leadership in business and this dynamic has been key to our success, with 30% of the team still made up of family members. The family values of loyalty and trust are extended to all employees within the company – you may not be christened with the Dyer surname, but you certainly feel a part of the Dyer family.  The commitment to nurturing family values for every employee, whilst embracing innovation in business practice such as innovating to an online-delivery model during the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrates the power of a multi-generational approach. Our inclusivity and desire for everyone to be the best that they can be, is truly what makes TILG work!

The award recognises our team’s entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, and unwavering commitment to providing young people with high quality career solutions.

We are incredibly proud of this achievement and grateful for the continued dedication of everyone involved.