Uptree: Transforming Work Experience and Opening Career Doors for Young People
Uptree is a UK careers education and early-talent platform that connects students, schools and employers. Its main goal is to reduce inequality of opportunity by helping young people gain real insight into work before leaving education. The organisation supports students aged 14 to 21 through career events, work experience, online learning and early-career opportunities. It also helps companies reach young people from a wider range of social, cultural and economic backgrounds.
The business operates under the legal name Uptree Limited. It was founded in 2015 and first traded as Intern First Limited. The company later changed its name as its work grew beyond internships into wider careers education, employer engagement and social mobility.
The Story Behind Uptree
Why Tamsin Dewhurst Founded the Organisation
Tamsin Dewhurst founded the company after spending six years as a teacher in London. During that time, she saw how difficult it could be for students from lower-income families to gain strong work experience. Many young people had ability and ambition but lacked professional contacts. Others had never visited a major workplace or spoken to someone working in law, banking, technology, engineering or business.
Dewhurst wanted to create a fairer route into employment. Her vision was to give every student the chance to understand careers, build confidence and meet employers before making major choices about education and work.
From Intern First to a Wider Careers Platform
The company was incorporated on 16 June 2015 as Intern First Limited. It became Uptree Limited in August 2016. This change reflected a broader mission. The organisation had started building a full careers platform offering employer insight, online learning, school support and structured work-based experiences.
Uptree Quick Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Company Name | Uptree Limited |
| Former Name | Intern First Limited |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Tamsin Dewhurst |
| Chief Executive Officer | Oby Bamidele |
| Industry | Education and Careers EdTech |
| Company Type | Private Limited Company |
| Company Number | 09641286 |
| Website | uptree.co |
| Main Audience | Students aged 14–21 |
| Services | Careers education, work experience, employer events and early-career opportunities |
| Partner Schools | More than 800 school partnerships |
| Registered Students | Nearly 148,000 |
| Wider Student Reach | More than 300,000 students |
| Team Location | UK, EEA and Canada |
| Current Registered Office | Newport Pagnell, England |
| Former Office | Coalville, England |
How Uptree Supports Students
The student platform gives young people access to career learning and employer opportunities without charging them a fee. Students can create an account, explore industries and apply for virtual or in-person programmes. These may include office visits, insight days, webinars, application workshops, skills sessions and longer placements.
Career Education and Online Learning
The platform provides short courses on CV writing, interview preparation, workplace behaviour, communication, application skills and industry knowledge. Students can complete them at their own pace.
Work Experience and Employer Events
A major part of the service is its work-experience programme. Young people can take part in events created with major employers from finance, law, technology, engineering and professional services. These experiences help students understand job roles, workplace culture and recruitment routes. They also allow employers to meet talented young people before formal apprenticeship or graduate hiring begins.
Apprenticeships, Placements and Early Jobs
The platform also shares apprenticeships, internships, placements and early-career roles. Selection depends on age, location, programme criteria and available spaces, but the system still gives students a clearer route into professional opportunities.
Support for Schools and Colleges
Uptree works closely with state schools and colleges across the United Kingdom. Its school partnerships are free because employers fund the programmes. Teachers can use a dedicated portal to monitor student activity, view event applications and support career learning. Schools also receive classroom resources, regional labour-market guidance and employer opportunities.
Helping Schools Meet Careers Standards
The organisation aligns its work with recognised careers frameworks, including the Gatsby Benchmarks and the Curriculum for Excellence. The business has worked with more than 700 UK state schools, while newer updates place its wider school network above 800 partnerships.
How Employers Use Uptree
Employers use the platform to meet students, explain career routes and build diverse future talent pipelines. The service reduces the time needed for school outreach. Companies can use the technology platform and internal team to design events, attract suitable students and manage engagement.
Employer Branding and Talent Development
Businesses can present their culture, roles and entry routes before recruitment begins.
Diversity, Social Mobility and ESG Goals
The service helps employers support social mobility and responsible business goals. Outreach often focuses on schools with high numbers of students from low-income communities. Employers can measure participation, student background and outcomes. This creates stronger evidence for diversity recruitment, community investment and environmental, social and governance work.
Uptree’s Reach and Impact
The organisation has grown greatly since 2015. By June 2026, it had close to 148,000 registered student accounts and had received more than 49,000 work-experience applications during 2025. Its broader reach extended to more than 300,000 students through school and employer partnerships.
Student Background and Inclusion
A large part of its network includes young people who face barriers to professional careers. Company figures show strong participation from minority ethnic communities, students connected with free-school-meal eligibility and young people who may be the first in their families to attend university.
Social Value During 2024–25
During the 2024–25 academic year, employer partnerships supported 3,633 students through real workplace experiences. A further 143 young people secured apprenticeships, internships, placements or early-career roles. More than 3,200 students enrolled in online career courses. The company estimated that these activities created between £1.77 million and £3 million in social value. This reflects the benefit created through student development and employment outcomes. It is not company revenue or profit.
Leadership, Ownership and Team
Tamsin Dewhurst
Tamsin Dewhurst remains the founder, chair and a director. She also retains significant control through the company’s shareholding and voting structure. Her move from chief executive to chair allowed new operational leadership while keeping the original mission at board level.
Oby Bamidele
Oby Bamidele serves as chief executive and became a company director in January 2026. Her role includes guiding growth, employer partnerships and student opportunities.
Company Team
The organisation has a team of more than 20 people working across the UK, the European Economic Area and Canada. Its team works remotely, with activity linked to hubs in London and Edinburgh.
Company Location and Legal Details
Uptree Limited is an active private company registered in England and Wales under company number 09641286. Its current registered office is at the iCentre, Howard Way, Interchange Park, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire. The Coalville address at 3 Cartwright Way, Bardon Hill was previously used by the company. It remains visible on some business pages, but it is not the current registered office. The official industry code places the company within employment placement services, although its daily work is better described as careers education and early-careers technology.
Values That Shape the Organisation
The company follows five main values: drive for results, empowering the community, inclusivity, learning and sharing, and impact at scale. These values shape its work with students, schools and employers, with a focus on long-term change rather than one-off events.
Why Uptree Matters
Uptree addresses a clear weakness in the journey from education to employment. Many students leave school with limited knowledge of professional careers and little direct contact with employers. By creating structured work experiences, accessible learning and stronger school-employer links, the organisation helps young people make better choices and build confidence.
Employers also gain earlier access to diverse talent, improve their social impact and build stronger recruitment pipelines. After more than a decade of growth, the company has become an important part of the UK early-careers sector. Its work shows how education and employer partnerships can make career opportunity fairer and more accessible.
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