LBF launches schools programme in partnership with the National Literacy Trust

The London Book Fair will launch a Schools Programme in partnership with the National Literacy Trust this year. The programme will engage with 80 students from disadvantaged backgrounds aged between 13 and 16, an age "where young people are starting to think about their career".

The project is part of Words for Work, the National Literacy Trust’s flagship literacy and employability programme. The aim of Words for Work is to bring schools, colleges and businesses together to improve the confidence, literacy and communication skills of young people from disadvantaged communities.

Working with volunteers from across the publishing industry, from HarperCollins and Penguin Random House to Oxford University Press and Bonnier, the event will be split into three parts. The first part of the morning will see a number of volunteers from the industry (including authors, editors, illustrators, printers and booksellers) talking to students about their roles and how they fit in to the journey of the book.

Students will then have the chance to explore the fair with a tour of the event floor, seeing a number of publisher stands and meeting people attending the fair. Finally, students will take part in an informal networking with volunteers, where publishing professionals will be able to answer their questions. 

Gareth Rapley, director of The London Book Fair, said: “Nurturing the next generation of publishing talent is one of the key focus areas at this year’s London Book Fair. We are thrilled to be partnering with the National Literacy Trust to deliver our first Schools Programme, where teenagers will have the chance to get a unique insight into our industry. Hoping this will help them broaden their horizons onto career paths they might not have considered before, and make a more informed choice about their future.”

Johnathan Douglas CBE, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “We’re very excited to launch the first London Book Fair Schools Programme, enabling young people to experience the fair first-hand and speak directly to publishing professionals from a variety of backgrounds and companies.

"The National Literacy Trust’s Words for Work programme is all about giving young people from disadvantaged backgrounds the literacy skills and confidence they need to succeed in the workplace, and we hope that this event will inspire these young people to consider a career in the book industry. The careers of the publishing industry’s future movers and shakers might well have been sparked today.”