Julie Feest, CEO of EDT (Engineering Development Trust) and Industrial Cadets discusses how charities can benefit from setting ambitious goals for the future
_____________________________________________________________________

After achieving her Bachelor’s degree in Maths with Computer Science, Julie focused her career within the tech sector, working for big brand names including Hewlett Packard and Compaq, with partnerships including Tech UK and the BBC. Throughout her career, Julie has always championed STEM, supporting the industry while striving to give back in her various voluntary roles as a Trustee and Ambassador for many charities. This passion for STEM and supporting young people was finally combined when she was appointed CEO at the Engineering Development Trust in 2017 and recognised further this year when Julie was shortlisted for a Novi Award for ‘Social Impact’ focusing on young women and breaking barriers.

Having worked for big brands throughout my career, I know that strategic thinking and ambitious goal setting really enables a charity to find direction and strive to reach goals which may have previously been unthinkable. Alongside my team at EDT we begin a new academic year having achieved an incredible milestone while forging forward with a bold and ambitious new goal for the years ahead.

In 2024, we celebrated reaching 250,000 Industrial Cadets experiences and launched our ambition to inspire 1 million young people to embrace jobs in industry by 2035.
EDT is a UK wide educational charity, delivering and accrediting 50,000+ experiences through the Industrial Cadets Awards each year. With over 35 years of experience, our mission is to connect young people with STEM and inspire STEM futures, with a vision for young people across the UK to have equal access to engage with STEM subjects and achieve their potential, whatever their background.

We developed Industrial Cadets with support from industry to provide a benchmark accreditation, mapping activities against a skills and competency framework.  Inspired by its Patron, His Majesty King Charles III, Industrial Cadets is the “Kitemark” award for young people engaging with the world of work, providing much needed insights and real-life experiences.

In 2024, the young people we support are still facing challenges - only 8% of those working in STEM fields were from ethnic minority groups, while the proportion of women entering STEM apprenticeships fell in 2023, to only 14%.

As an organisation we want to turn these shocking figures around which requires, not only ambitious goals, but the passion and dedication to fulfil them. We aim to inspire and educate underrepresented groups, in all areas to enable social mobility. By doing this we will create a broader, more diverse and inclusive talent pool for STEM industries across the UK.

As a charity we have set ourselves an ambitious target and have developed a robust strategy to enable us to achieve it, from developing strategic partnerships with a shared vision to upgrading our digital capabilities and presence, to investing in our people.
Goals are vital to future proof an organisation, and realistic planning and communication brings your goals to life.

As an organisation what we strive to achieve is always closely aligned with our charitable objectives and the needs of industry and education.

Setting a collective target and communicating this throughout your organisation ensures that everyone is on the same exciting journey, striving for success – and therefore more likely to achieve it! This supports and promotes a culture of achievement, accountability, long term planning and collaboration across every level of the charity.

There are so many benefits for setting organisational goals, not only does it help charities strive for success but in turn supports those causes that we all work so tirelessly for.
At EDT we focus on supporting young people across the UK to have equal access to the exciting world of STEM – those students continue to be our main driver, fuelling our passion to reach our goals and beyond.

---