Successful professional men and entrepreneurs were drafted in to share stories about their successes and failures to galvanise teenage boys at an inspirational careers event.

The day at Young Hackney’s Forest Road Youth Hub saw 17 experts of all ages and backgrounds offering informal career advice to 50 young men from City Academy, Stoke Newington, Hackney New School and Skinners.

The panel included Richard Blackburn who set up a multi-million pound recruitment company after leaving school with just a few GCSEs, fire fighter Richard Reid, entrepreneur Matt Lo and Reg Amoah, the social responsibility manager for charity ELBA.

Mr Lo who founded health and fitness company Outrivals, said: “It’s good for young people to know there are different options in life, and to feel that they can be open minded when thinking about their future. I hope young people can learn today that you will get far with a good work ethic, and that you shouldn’t be afraid to dream, as dreams can take you a long way.”

Juliet Alexander, careers manager at Stoke Newington School, said: “It was wonderful the way these busy professionals took time out to enthuse and inform our students, many of whom do not have strong male role models. Our boys really liked meeting a former Stoke Newington student who had left school with only a few GCSEs, gone on to study a BTEC locally and now had a full time job as a gas fitter. Congratulations to the entire team.”