Aberdeen-based B2B digital marketing agency BrandHouzz Digital is working with Developing the Young Workforce North East to deliver LinkedIn training to S6 students at Bridge of Don Academy as part of a programme preparing school leavers for life beyond secondary education.
It marks the first time LinkedIn has been formally taught to students at the academy.
BrandHouzz Digital founder and director Victoria Vyalikova is delivering the session alongside other specialists covering personal leadership and personal finance, forming a practical programme designed to equip students with the skills, confidence, and tools they need as they move into university, apprenticeships, or the workforce.
The LinkedIn workshop equips students with the skills to build a credible professional profile, understand how recruiters and employers search for candidates online, and start establishing a digital presence before they need one.
The timing reflects a stark reality facing school leavers. According to the ISE Student Recruitment Survey 2025, UK employers received a median of 140 applications per graduate vacancy last year: more than triple the figure recorded in 2002. Graduate hiring fell 8% in 2025, while youth unemployment in the UK currently sits at around 14%.
Victoria said: "We are sending young people into one of the most competitive entry-level job markets in a generation, and most of them are invisible online. A strong LinkedIn profile is not a nice-to-have, it is the difference between being found and being overlooked. Recruiters, headhunters, and employers are actively searching LinkedIn every day. If you are not there, or if your profile says nothing meaningful about you, you are already behind the people who are. I wanted to give these students a genuine head start: not theory, but practical skills they can act on the same day."
Jamie Hutcheon, Director at Developing the Young Workforce North East, said: We are delighted that Victoria has been leading this session for the S6 students at Bridge of Don Academy. The young people are not just learning how to create a profile, they are developing the confidence and skills to present themselves professionally in a world where their digital presence matters as much as their CV. This kind of practical, employer-led input is exactly what our young people need as they prepare for their next steps, helping them to stand out in an increasingly competitive jobs market.