UN Sustainable Development Goals

At MyBigCareer, we align our programmes and values with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth.

We work in partnership with schools, employers and grant-makers to support four key Sustainable Development Goals.

According to The UN, the global pandemic has wiped out 20 years of education gains.  In the UK, Covid-19 caused many hours of missed schooling, with pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds worse-affected by the disruption to education.

MyBigCareer is supporting schools to help ensure inclusive and equitable quality education. We help schools enhance their Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) provision, particularly for under-represented young people, and we support disadvantaged students to improve their access to higher education.

Globally women spend 2.5 times more time than men on unpaid domestic and care work, whilst only 28% of managerial positions are held by women.  Without access to quality CEIAG, young women may be more likely to conform to stereotypes relating to work and education. 

From Career Coaching to employer Insight Days, our programme in schools serving disadvantaged communities in the UK aims to achieve gender equality and empower under-represented girls.  We encourage participation by female students, and introduce them to inspiring women from the world of work who volunteer for MyBigCareer as Career Coaches.  

The UN has found that the pandemic has already led to the loss of 255 million full-time jobs around the world and will increase the numbers of young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).  

Helping young people to achieve full and productive employment and decent work sits at the heart of everything we do at MyBigCareer.  Even before GCSE choices are made, we support disadvantaged pupils at pivotal moments on their journey to employment, providing vital moments of insight, motivation and guidance. With our corporate partners we offer young people the experiences with employers that are in such short supply but are vital in providing early inspiration through exposure to the workplace.

The UN predicts that the pandemic could reverse progress made in reducing income inequality since the financial crisis. In the UK, disadvantaged young people are 50% more likely to be NEET than their better-off peers. Independent Schools, many of which experienced less disruption and the greatest levels of examination grade inflation during the pandemic, saw 70% of students attain A-Levels at A grade or above in 2021.

We focus our support to young people in the UK facing the greatest inequality of opportunity as a result of their background, location, ethnicity, gender and other factors. Our programmes are targeted to Pupil Premium students and those receiving Free School Meals, attending schools in the top 20% most deprived communities according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation.