Lancôme UK has announced it will continue for a third season the Behind the Cover audiobook club. The book club was initially launched in 2020 to provide additional motivational support for young women participating in Words for Work: Women in Leadership, an employability programme developed by the National Literacy Trust in partnership with Lancôme. Thanks to the additional donation from Lancôme, the free audiobook club, which will be available for students in January 2022, will feature books by award-winning authors: Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez as well as Somebody Give This Heart A Pen by Sophia Thakur. A third book by Somali-born, London-raised professional boxer, humanitarian and model, Ramla Ali, will round out the programme.
Created during the first lockdown in response to the secondary school and college closures, Behind the Cover aims to inspire and motivate young women by providing access to books digitally. In addition it promotes critical thinking and conversation, whilst creating a sense of community for these young women isolated from their peers, and helps provide a confidence boost in difficult times.
We’re delighted to be working with Lancôme again on the Behind the Cover initiative which has already benefited so many young women. This pandemic has changed the world for young people in so many ways, but this next season of Behind the Cover looks very exciting and we’re delighted to be able to make it available to at least 1,500 young women as they begin to build their the career journeys.
Fiona Evans, Director of Schools
We are thrilled to continue our support of Behind the Cover, which is now entering its third season. Books and stories are a true source of comfort and community, so we are delighted to be part of ensuring this wonderful programme's continuity. By supporting Behind the Cover, we, the extended Lancôme family, are proud to play a role in preparing and accompanying young women as they strive for a better future.
Giovanni Valentini, General Manager for Lancôme U.K. and Ireland
Behind the Cover helps to increase the impact of Words for Work: Women in Leadership which has directly improved the literacy skills, confidence, and leadership abilities of over 2,000 young women aged 16-18 across the UK and Ireland, through teacher-led workshops, panel events with inspiring women in leadership positions, business immersion days and now also virtual internship opportunties. Lancôme has pledged to extend the Words for Work: Women in Leadership programme for an additional two years, inspiring 5,000 young UK women to get the job they want.
As part of the programme, Lancôme also continued its paid summer internship in August 2021 and employed two young students for the six-week Lancôme/Words for Work internship. The participants integrated the communication and marketing teams to work on beauty product launches and content for the brand.
This internship was an incredible experience. From the people I worked with to the projects I worked on, I can honestly say I have had an amazing learning experience. I really appreciated the fact that we were put on rotation between the various departments because each one had valuable lessons to share and opportunities for skill enhancement. This is certainly a company I would love to work for in the future!
Syah, 18, student selected for the six-week internship programme