We are a charity that works to drive social mobility and raise aspirations.
We empower people of all ages with the confidence, skills and knowledge to move forward in education, training and employment.
We provide careers and employability services to young people, schools and colleges, adults in the justice system, and individuals and workplaces looking to upskill.
Our approach
Our work is wide ranging.
From helping an ex-offender to build employability skills and apply for a job, to empowering a socially isolated young person to explore their strengths and make an action plan.
From training the next generation of careers advisers, to advising a school on how to deliver an impactful careers curriculum.
At the heart of this is our aim: to help people move forward in careers and in life.
Everybody starts from somewhere different.
That’s why we take a person-centred approach, designing our services around individual needs and goals.
All our work is informed by evidence-based research and the voices of our participants.
Where we work
Communities
We work with young people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training). We help 16–18-year-olds and those with an EHCP up to age 25 to understand their options and access education, employment or training. We are commissioned by eight local authorities across the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester and Salford.
Prisons and probation settings
We help reduce re-offending by preparing offenders and ex-offenders to take a new path through employment, education or training. We work in more than 50 locations across the Northwest, Midlands, Lancashire and Cumbria and with partners to help achieve sustainable ‘through the gate’ transitions. We are commissioned by HMPPS, prisons, and local government.
Schools and colleges
We work in more than 250 educational settings across the country. Schools and colleges purchase bespoke careers services to meet their needs. We also train school and college careers leaders, and we are assessors for school careers quality awards.
Public, third and private sector organisations
We deliver a range of accredited professional training and CPD. Our courses range from Level 6 in Information, Advice and Guidance, to CPD on mental health and running and effective team.
Our History
We started life as part of the national young people’s Connexions service in 2001 and we became an independent charity in 2011.
Since then, we’ve developed our services to cover all aspects of the career and employability journey – because we know that careers planning is lifelong, and that everybody’s journey is unique.
How we are funded
- Commissioned services
- Purchased services (School and College careers services; Training and Development services; individual careers support for adults and young people; careers resources). Any surplus from these services are invested into our charity to help others overcome barriers.
- Grants, Trusts and Foundations – to help us deliver targeted programmes/practical support that is not funded elsewhere by statutory provision.
- Corporate supporters and individual giving.
Why we do what we do
We believe that everybody deserves the right to impartial careers advice when they are planning their future.
The right careers support, at the right time, is life changing.
Being in employment, education or training at age 16 leads to better outcomes throughout life, higher income levels, better health and levels of wellbeing.
Being in employment six months after leaving prison prevents re-offending. It can break cycles of offending for generations to come.
It’s not just about the individual – it’s about us all.
The more people we can help to succeed on their own terms, the better future we create for everybody.
We conduct research to evidence need and improve service provision.