Partnership launches to inspire future university students

A pioneering partnership between City Academy, The Brilliant Club and TFT has been launched during National Careers Week to support a cohort of 14 Year 9 learners who may become the first in their families to attend university.

The Brilliant Club, an award-winning UK charity, works to increase access to highly selective universities for students from under-represented backgrounds. TFT, an independent real estate consultancy with offices across the UK and Ireland of more than 200 chartered surveyors, development and project consultants, engineers and sustainability specialists, is funding the programme and offering additional industry insight opportunities at their Queen Square office in Bristol.

The programme, titled “The Climate Police Force: Measuring and Modelling Gases”, focuses on sustainability and aligns with TFT’s ongoing decarbonisation initiatives and research into achieving Net Zero Carbon in the built environment.

The initiative builds on TFT’s support of Cabot Learning Federation’s Raising Aspirations Day, where they hosted sessions at City Academy. This annual event is designed to broaden the horizons of Year 9 students, showcase diverse career pathways, and connect classroom learning to real-world opportunities. It features contributions from local businesses, universities, and hands-on workshops.

Andrew Bell, Partnerships Manager for the Cabot Learning Federation, said:
“This partnership represents a powerful opportunity for our students to see what their futures could look like.

“By combining academic challenge with real-world industry insight, we are helping young people to raise their aspirations and believe that university, and careers in fields like sustainability are within their reach.”

Ali Alison, CEO at TFT said: “The built environment has so much to offer young people – exciting work with genuine impact and a wider range of professions than many assume. We’re supporting the Brilliant Club to show students what is possible in the worlds of real estate, construction and sustainability, and how they can gain the skills to succeed in them.”