From tutor to skills coach: How Kayan continues to support young people at The Access Project

Back in 2021, Cambridge graduate Kayan learned about the work of The Access Project through his employer, BCG. Our mission resonated with Kayan, and he duly signed up to be a volunteer tutor, supporting a student in East London. 

Fast forward to 2025, and Kayan is now working with valued, long-standing corporate partner Bain Capital as an Investor on the Private Equity team. Coming once again in contact with The Access Project through his new employer, Kayan applied to offer volunteer skills coaching through our Skills for Access coaching programme.  

We spoke to Kayan about his journey from tutor to skills coach, and what motivates him to support the work of The Access Project. 

The power of education

“Education is a powerful enabler of social mobility and I’m really passionate about helping people from less well-off backgrounds fulfill their potential. I originally applied to be a volunteer tutor as education had a transformative impact on me, and it’s so important to pay this forward.” 

“I studied at the University of Cambridge and loved it. Growing up I didn’t know anybody who had been to Oxbridge and nobody from my school had ever attended, so I didn’t see it as a realistic option for me. That was until I attended an access event being run by one of the Oxford colleges which opened my eyes to this being a potential reality. I still remember spinning my mum around the kitchen the day I got my offer! At Cambridge I really enjoyed the academic experience and particularly thought the small group supervisions were such a valuable experience to really engage in the subject.” 

Kayan’s volunteering journey

Kayan told us about his experiences returning to volunteering, this time as a skills coach. 

“I really liked the [Skills for Access coaching] initiative because it gives young people an experience that they don’t get in school. The impact of the volunteer tutoring is clear, but it’s incremental to what the students are already doing in school, and realistically I’m not well versed in the curriculum anymore, so it was a lot of work to build a lesson plan and design sessions which would have a real impact.” 

“The volunteer coaching fills a gap which young people might not get in school, helping students to learn broader life skills which will support them at university and beyond (for example, communication, teamwork, problem solving, time management), as well as engaging in broader discussions on what sort of career path and university experience they might want to have.” 

Coaching in 2026

For our 2026 coaching programme, Kayan was paired with student Tyler, from the East Midlands.  

“The [coaching] time commitment is really reasonable. Despite being in a demanding job, the sessions themselves were ~60 minutes per month, and I could prepare for them whenever it fit with my schedule (with The Access Project providing some really helpful materials as a starting point).” 

Coaching reflections

Kayan shared his thoughts with us on his coaching experience.  

“I really believe in the power coaching can have, and it’s something we do every day – whether that’s in a work environment coaching a colleague, or informally supporting a friend or family member. This program is a phenomenal chance to practice that skill while having a positive impact.” 

“It was a genuine pleasure coaching Tyler this year. First off, The Access Project team did a great job pairing us, because his goals were well aligned with my experiences. He came to every session ready to engage with the material and it was obvious from the first session that he has a huge amount of potential. We also frequently went beyond the core topics provided to us by The Access Project, talking about university applications and potential career paths.” 

“I remember the transition from school to university being a really key turning point in life and it was an honour to be a part of that journey for Tyler, even in a small way!” 

And what did student, Tyler, think about these coaching sessions?

We spoke to Tyler about his experiences of his coaching sessions with Kayan. 

“The skills coaching that I had the lucky opportunity to take has easily been my favourite part of being in The Access Project. I always looked forward to every coaching session I had because I found them to not only be enjoyable, but also extremely valuable. To other students on The Access Project, I would 100% recommend taking coaching due to the variety of skills you will learn to develop. It has helped me to think about and develop skills such as time management and communication, which are useful for both my current education as well as future settings such as university and the workplace.” 

“Before my first coaching session, I was mostly nervous about what kind of person my coach was going to be. After some introductions, I quickly realised and pointed out how well we had been paired together; considering that I am aspiring to go down a similar route that he has. He has always made me feel very comfortable during the sessions which gave me the confidence to be very open about my ideas in discussion.”  

“He has truly helped me to get the most out of this experience. Thank you, Kayan!” 

We are currently recruiting volunteer coaches for our 2027 season. Want to find out more? Head over to our Volunteer with us page.