Improving people’s prospects

We’ve always known that being in fulfilling work is a major factor in helping people to stay well and happy and enabling them to put something back into society. We also know there is much work to be done to make local communities better places to live and to tackle some of the big challenges like fuel poverty and climate change.

No one should be disadvantaged because of where they live or because of their background. We stop talent from being wasted due to long-term unemployment or lack of opportunities. We are committed to working to give people the best start in life and to open up new opportunities in the job market.

Improving people's prospects: Our impact

In 2019 we...

Unlocked
50,000
days of social action

Helped
26,000
people to achieve new goals in education, training or employment

Supported
6,000
learners of all ages to achieve qualifications

Building skills and experience

Our specialist teams provide a wide range of support to young people in and out of school and to jobseekers of all ages looking to develop new skills and get back into work. This work ranges from coaching young people at risk of underachieving in the classroom to cutting reoffending rates by working with ex-offenders.

We are skilled at matching formal learning, training and qualifications with practical projects and activities that give people a sense of personal achievement while delivering practical benefits to local communities. Our Green Teams provide a safe and structured approach for young people to learn practical skills while working to improve local environments or manage open spaces and many are now working under contract to councils, housing associations and private landowners.

We are also focused on opening up new opportunities for green skills and jobs, whether by supporting social enterprises dealing with waste and recycling or by helping major companies to recruit trainees and apprentices. We deliver a range of contracts for governments, local authorities and private companies but always with an eye on ensuring that people get the support and supervision they need and that the training and jobs they are doing contribute to building more sustainable local economies.