This week, Mansion House hosted the Livery Academy Awards, celebrating its 10th anniversary and marking a decade of empowering young people, strengthening links between education and industry, and opening doors to future opportunity.

Each year, partner livery companies invite the schools they support to take part in the Awards. Pupils are set a challenge linked to the priorities of the sitting Lord or Lady Mayor and work in teams to develop a business product designed to address it. Supported by mentors from the finance and creative sectors, each team refines their idea and pitches it as a viable investment opportunity.

This year, pupils were tasked with creating a product or business that would encourage aspiration and boost job or career opportunities for school leavers. Proposals needed to be new, commercially viable and able to deliver tangible benefits within their local communities.

A modern programme rooted in tradition

For generations, Livery Companies have played a vital role in education, skills development and charitable endeavour. The Livery Academy Awards represent a modern expression of this enduring commitment, connecting pupils with professionals from across the City and introducing them to industries, pathways and possibilities they may not previously have considered.

This year, the four schools that reached the finals at Mansion House were Mossbourne Community Academy, Oasis Southbank Academy, Foyle College and Haberdasher’s Crayford Academy. The four City livery companies involved were: The Grocers’ Company, The Fishmongers’ Company, The Merchant Taylors Company, The Haberdashers’ Company.

The event was hosted by Lord Mayor Locum Tenens Sir Charles Bowman, standing in for the Lady Mayor. The judging panel, which included the Mayoral Consort Gary Langley, selected two winners: Mossbourne Community Academy and Foyle College.

Mossbourne Community Academy impressed judges with their app idea, Carpe, which prompts students daily to pitch ideas and solve problems. Foyle College also stood out with RootedInYou, a platform designed to spotlight career opportunities less likely to be replaced by artificial intelligence, such as roles in trades and construction.

A decade of good news and more to come

At the heart of the Livery Academy Awards is mentorship. For many young people, access to professional role models can be transformational. Learning directly from those working across the City helps demystify the world of work, build confidence and networks, and raise aspirations at a crucial stage in life.

Mentors often speak of the value they gain in return, from fresh perspectives and renewed optimism to the satisfaction of helping shape the next generation. These relationships sit at the core of the Awards’ success, reinforcing the idea that opportunity grows strongest when it is shared.

As part of the Lady Mayor’s bid to Unsquare the Square Mile, the Livery Academy Awards are at the forefront of opening doors for young people to experience the City and the opportunities it offers.

As the Awards mark their tenth year, they offer a powerful good news story for the City of London, one rooted in partnership, possibility and purpose. They serve as a reminder that at the heart of the City is an ecosystem defined by opportunity, innovation and openness.