It was clear to all who knew him in school that, from a young age, Dan Miller (OT 2009-2016) had entrepreneurial spirit. In fact, Dan first appeared in the Alumni Office at the age of 13 keen to seek out any opportunities to ‘do business’ with the OT network! Several years later, during an Old Tridents London Dinner event, anyone attending may recall Dan discussing the new ‘business networking app’ he had designed and was eager to tell other guests about!
Dan’s passion for starting his own business grew throughout his school years and once in Sixth Form, alongside his A Level subjects of Business, Economics and Politics, he launched his business, Young Professionals. “I always knew I wanted to have my own business, but I never really knew where to start. Most mornings on my way into school I would read the FT. One morning, I saw an article about alternatives to university and how apprenticeships were going to be the next big thing …. that made me think.”
“It seemed too good to be true; a job from day one, a great starting salary and at the same time working towards a degree qualification, and it would cost you nothing!”
It was from this article that Dan’s idea for Young Professionals was born. “I recall contributing to the school’s PSHE programme, sharing my new business venture, and being a role model for other pupils who were entrepreneur enthusiasts”.
When he left Trent College, Dan moved to London with the intention to grow and scale his business. Now, living in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, he has taken the business from what was an idea in school to an internationally recognised brand working with over 4,000 schools and colleges, and over 40 global companies including PwC, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Siemens, and British Airways to name just a few.
Young Professionals specialises in early careers attraction and recruitment, with a big focus on employer branding and technology. The YP Technology Division builds apps and ATS (application tracking systems) as well as psychometric testing, assessment centres and digital interviewing tools, which YP clients can use as part of their selection process.
In 2020, Dan was joined by Josh Elder (OT 2009-2016) as Head of Marketing, recruited to drive business development and digital marketing. Josh had taken a gap year when he left Trent College, travelling to South America and spending 6 months working and living in Mendoza and Argentina before backpacking his way up the continent. He then went on to study Business and Tourism at the Universitat d’Alacant and spent time thereafter working in London, until joining forces with Dan.
“Having studied A-Level Spanish I wanted to take my language skills to the next level. I took the opportunity to work at my Uncle’s hostel and after hearing the many travel stories from guests staying with us, I decided to embark upon a trip of my own exploring Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. When I had completed my studies in Spain, I gained employment working for a global home exchange company in London.”
“I would recommend to anyone now in Sixth Form that if you’re undecided on what to do after Trent, consider a gap year. Take the time to gain some work experience, travel and think about your next steps.”
Today, Young Professionals has a team of 10 people working in the business. With over 200,000 students registered on its network to receive information about work experience, apprenticeships, and careers events across the UK. The business also has more than 47,000 followers on Instagram!
Dan says, “We are the UK’s market leaders in helping big brands attract and recruit school, college and university leavers onto their various student programmes”.
“I am so proud of Young Professionals, and all that we have achieved in a short space of time”.
“I didn’t take the traditional route of going to university. I plunged myself straight into business and took a huge risk moving to London at 18. I’d had an idea and never lost sight of that vison. I did the hustle in the City, built up my connections and figured the rest out as I went along!”
“I really love what we do and what’s most rewarding, is seeing the thousands of young people’s lives we are changing.”