Frances Trought is the founder of Everything D&I (EDI) Ltd and the I Accelerator CIC our non profit arm., Creators of Opportunities for Diverse Talent with a focus on race, gender and social mobility. Talent is everywhere and we aims to ensure opportunity is too! EDI has worked with industry leaders including Amazon, Microsoft, Rolls-Royce, Accenture to develop innovative initiatives to create a sense of belonging and awareness of career opportunities.

Frances is the author of Brilliant Employability Skills 2E and the Degree Apprenticeship Application Guide released July 2024. She has 18 years’ experience in Higher Education. Our flagship programme The I Accelerator, a work experience initiative, was launched with Microsoft Embrace Employee Resource Group in 2019, and has now been delivered with Rolls-Royce, Deloitte, Ford UK and new schemes are in the pipeline. The aim of the programme is to give students the opportunity to enhance their CV by working on a project from leading brands; all too often students are aware of the brand but do not see the opportunities available to them

Programme Successes:

I-Accelerator
One week innovative work experience programme based on a project developed and delivered by your organisation, but the students are managed by EDI , therefore providing an opportunity to engage with diverse talent whilst maintaining business as usual. Throughout the week volunteers can deliver 1 hour workshops to students. Engagement with diverse talent from sixth formers to undergraduates. A successful track record for over five years, with over 1000 students graduating from this program, with our partners including Microsoft, Ford, Rolls- Royce, Deloitte. This year we will double the number of students on the Rolls-Royce I Accelerator expanding from Derby to Bristol.

Mentoring
A 3/6 month undergraduate development programme with monthly skills workshops and monthly 121 meetings with a mentor. EDI and I Accelerator is a strong believer in the power of mentoring and has launched successful schemes with Microsoft, Amazon and Accenture, which have all had amazing outcomes for over 3,000 students to date.

Future Leaders
A six week insight to careers and industries. Each session will include a practical skills session to support students’ professional development and feature speakers from across the organisation providing a deeper understanding of the company. More than 1000 Students benefitted from an increased professional network and the development of tools to compete in the job market. Organisations benefit from being able to demystify roles thereby making them more accessible. In 2023 we ran the PwC Future Leaders programme for 150 black heritage females.

We have and continue to create opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds.