How-to guide: Fledglink

What is Fledglink?

Fledglink is a mobile app which offers free access to resources for young people to help them make informed decisions about their future work. Fledglink allows users to create their own professional digital profile, discover their careers, and get jobs and work experience opportunities. 

How does Fledglink help educators?

Fledglink can be incorporated into your careers strategy as a useful tool for students. It can be used independently by students and within lessons to create a ‘blended learning experience’ and support students to identify their own strengths, qualities and attributes. If embedded as part of an ongoing careers strategy, Fledglink also helps you achieve those all-important Gatsby Benchmarks.

There are multiple features on the app to help students develop their skills and mindsets to prepare them for work.

Building a digital CV

To get the most out of the app, young people should fill out as much of their profiles as possible. User’s profiles act as ‘digital CVs’ for applying to certain jobs within the app so it’s important that they complete the ‘Education’, ‘Experience’, and ‘About Me’ sections.

Encourage students to fill as much out as possible, this provides educators with the opportunity to systematically track their school leavers, therefore supporting Gatsby Benchmark 3.

Users can also set their job preferences, which enables them to be matched to opportunities. They can select their ideal sectors, organisation size, job types and job interests.

Making connections

A feature of the Fledglink app is that young people can connect with their peers on a professional platform. When connecting with someone they know, users can select 5 positive qualities, strengths and attributes of their new connection in a ‘360 feedback’ style.

This ‘top qualities’ feature is an exercise to support young people in building self-confidence and raising awareness of the importance of soft skills. Once connected, users top-rated qualities show on their digital CV, helping to boost their profile score.

Fledglink 10 minute activity

This activity will help students prepare for interview questions about personal strengths:

• Ask students to connect with at least 3 of their peers within their class using the ‘Network’ section of the app and choose 5 strengths for these peers on the app.
• Split into pairs and discuss their top-rated qualities together from their profiles. e.g. Are there any qualities that surprised them? Do they recognise these qualities in themselves? etc.
• Students should choose one of their own qualities and spend a minute telling their partner an example of a time they used it.
• Ask students to find a job opportunity requiring at least 1 of their top qualities and spend a couple of minutes telling their partner what example they would use of this in an interview.

After the activity, encouraging your students to continue to grow their network by connecting with more of their peers will help them to build their self-awareness and validate their strengths further.

Growth and development

The Personality Questionnaire in the ‘Grow’ section of the app is a great place to get started.

Upon completion, students receive a full report on their personal preferences (i.e. likes and dislikes). An activity is also embedded to help them understand their results and how this can support them with their future career decisions.

This tool helps young people to self-evaluate and supports individuals who are unsure about how to answer questions about their personality in relation to work.

Discovering more than jobs

The ‘Home’ section of the app features a personalisable ‘Discovery Feed’. This is where top jobs, internships, apprenticeships and work experience opportunities are featured, along with a live feed of up-to-date early careers support.

Students can choose to follow up to 10 channels on a variety of relevant topics, all tailored to help them build skills and knowledge for the future of work.

Fledglink 5 minute activity

Ask students to find one interesting article on the discovery feed. Split them into groups of twos and threes. Ask them to discuss:

• Why they find it interesting
• What they have learned from it
• How they think articles such as this one will help them with future work

Click here to download and learn more about Fledglink