Springboard

Young student in collaborative setting

Providing opportunity for young people to tackle the world’s biggest challenges.

Since 2018, our Springboard programme has given young people from all backgrounds access to work experience, mentorship and support from our diverse teams of experts. Working together in small groups, the students devise ingenious, technology-led solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

Advancing social mobility through innovation

Springboard has now provided more than 300 young people in the UK and the US with an opportunity to experience consulting and find innovative ways to speed progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the 17 global targets to promote peace and prosperity while protecting our environment. Ingenious solutions devised by student teams have ranged from nutrient packed infant formulas to decrease child mortality to a ceramic water filtration device for areas affected by humanitarian disasters.

Our inaugural programme in our London office was Highly Commended at the 2018 UK Social Mobility Awards.

In 2022, after two years of virtual sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we once again opened our doors to participants.

At PA, we believe in bringing ingenuity to life. And we need to engage the next generation of innovators, technologists and industry leaders in tackling some of the world’s biggest social and business challenges to build a positive human future.”

Springboard 2023

This year, we supported 60 students across four of our offices. Supported by PA colleagues through a series of consulting skills sessions, the students worked in groups to develop solutions for a range of client problems.

Normally on programmes like this we only get to observe but on the first day at PA, we are already meeting with clients and I’ve learnt so much.”
London
I absolutely loved every minute! As each day went by I felt a boost in my confidence and now have a much clearer understanding of the world of work.”
Brighton
Throughout the week, I was able to find out more about what consulting actually is and what a career in it could look like. Not only that, I was able to meet so many fantastic people and make friends that l remain in contact with after the programme was completed.”
Glasgow
Springboard has really thrown a spanner in the works. I thought I wanted to be a journalist and now I just really want to be a consultant.”
Manchester
It really opened my eyes to the ways of problem-solving. I will be able to then use these skills in other parts of my life.”
US

Our partners

Social Mobility Foundation logo
Social Mobility Foundation
The SMF is a national charity providing opportunities to young people from low-income backgrounds.
Breakthrough New York logo
Breakthrough New York
Our goal is to create leaders who break the cycle of poverty in their families and effect positive change in their communities.
Northglenn High School logo
Northglenn High School, Denver
With problem-based learning, our STEM students are tasked with real-world problems to tackle through a transdisciplinary lens.

Who we have helped

Contact the team

We look forward to hearing from you.

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