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Hachette UK partners with Stephen Lawrence trust to launch publishing toolkit for young people

Hachette UK has created a new publishing toolkit in partnership with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, to make careers in the industry more accessible to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The toolkit, which launches today, aims to demystify publishing by explaining how it works, the many different types of publishing that exist, and the wide variety of roles available in publishing houses.

The ‘Guide to Publishing’ toolkit forms part of a wider initiative by the Trust to inspire and enable young people to succeed in the professions of their choice. The toolkit is one of three that have been created, with the others focusing on architecture and law.

David Shelley, CEO of Hachette UK, commented: “We’re very proud to work with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust and reaching schools through the Trust’s programmes has become an integral part of ‘Changing the Story’ because it opens more young people’s eyes to the new worlds of opportunity that are accessible through reading, writing and, in this case, working in publishing. We need to attract more diverse talent in order to publish books that truly reflect and celebrate the world around us and the starting point is demystifying our industry and showing young people from all backgrounds that publishing can be a viable and exciting career choice for them.”

Hachette UK has been working with the Trust since 2017 to fundraise and volunteer in a variety of ways. The publisher hosts school visits, where students are invited to attend inspirational talks and interactive publishing workshops at its offices at Carmelite House. It ran a mentoring programme for Year 11 students from South East London to help them make informed decisions about their careers, set goals and develop interpersonal skills, while its THRIVE employee network partnered with the Trust on a summer school programme for adults. Hachette UK staff also participate regularly in the Trust’s career carousels and speaking events.

In 2019, the partnership entered a new phase with the start of a three-year programme titled ‘Pathways to Professions’, which aims to help a cohort of students find out more about roles in publishing and equip them with skills needed to enter the world of work. This programme has been on hold during the COVID-19 lockdown but will resume later this year. Hachette UK and the Trust are also exploring opportunities to work with schools outside London, in areas such as Manchester, as the publisher expands its regional footprint with new offices over the next 18 months.

Chanel Noel, Head of Programmes at Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, commented: “Many young people don’t get the information and support they need to make informed choices about their education and future careers.  I am extremely proud of the fantastic insights, access and information on an array of professions and industries that our programmes provide to schools’ aged young people.

“The Guide to Publishing, alongside our other toolkits, will be an invaluable resource for students, school staff and parents. We are proud that these have been made freely available, so that this expertise and knowledge can be shared with all young people to enable them to dream big and turns those dreams into a pursuable pathway.”

To view the publishing toolkit please visit: https://www.stephenlawrence.org.uk/slctnews/toolkit-for-careers-in-publishing-launched/

 

ENDS

About Hachette UK:

Our mission at Hachette UK is to make it easy for all people, everywhere to access new worlds of learning, entertainment and opportunity.

We are one of the UK’s largest publishing groups, with 10 autonomous publishing divisions and over 50 imprints with a rich and diverse history. We are also the market leader in e-books and publish a range of bestsellers in audio format, the fastest growing part of our business.

We publish thousands of new books across the group every year and our authors include Martina Cole, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Stephen King, Stieg Larsson, Nelson Mandela, Stephenie Meyer, Ian Rankin, J.K. Rowling and Malala Yousafzai.

Our award-winning adult publishing divisions are Little, Brown, Orion, John Murray Press, Hodder & Stoughton, Headline, Quercus, Bookouture and Octopus. Hachette Children’s Group publishes a diverse range of books for children of all ages and Hodder Education is a market leader in resources for both primary and secondary schools.

We have offices around the UK, including our headquarters in London and the Hely Hutchinson Centre (HHC) for distribution in Didcot. We have subsidiaries in several other regions, including Australia, India, Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jamaica and New Zealand.

About the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust:

The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust works to create a fairer and more inclusive society in which everyone has the opportunity and support to flourish, regardless of their race, ethnicity or background.  It provides young people from disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds with inspiration and support, connecting their talent and ambition with opportunities for career and personal development.  It empowers communities to make the sustainable changes that are needed to create better places for people to live and work, addressing the education, employment and other issues that hold so many people back. And it creates high impact partnerships with businesses and other organisations, working together to create a society in which everyone’s talents, skills and perspectives are recognised, and valued.