Building Aspirations

Empowering young people to achieve their career ambitions

Building Aspirations is an employability programme funded by Intact Insurance and delivered by UK Youth in partnership with local youth organisations and Intact Insurance colleagues.

Designed for young people aged 18–24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or who are at risk of becoming so, the programme helps young people build confidence, develop practical employability skills and take meaningful steps towards education, training and employment.

Through youth work-led support, employer engagement and targeted scholarships, Building Aspirations gives young people the skills, opportunities and belief they need to achieve their ambitions.

The Programme

Building Aspirations helps young people aged 18–24 build the confidence, skills and aspirations needed to move towards education, training and employment.

Delivered by trained youth workers through local youth organisations, the programme supports young people to:

Build confidence, resilience and communication skills
Develop interview, employability and money management skills
Set goals and create plans for their future
Connect with employers and industry professionals
Access scholarship funding to support their next steps

Since the programme began, 93 scholarships have been awarded to help young people access education, training and employment opportunities.

Colleagues from Intact Insurance play an active role as Local Leads , supporting delivery partners through mentoring and leveraging their own experience, skills and networks to help youth workers make connections and co-ordinate local activity. Their volunteers also run employability workshops, workplace insight sessions and scholarship panels, helping young people gain confidence, expand their networks and better understand the world of work.

The impact so far

Since the partnership began:

378

young people enrolled

332

young people completed the programme

93

scholarships awarded

Young people’s stories

Somat’s Story

“I feel much more optimistic about my future; the programme modules gave me interview skills and taught me how to talk to people. The bursary has also helped me start my perfume business.”

Building Aspirations helped Somat develop confidence, improve his communication skills and launch his own perfume business using scholarship funding.

Hana’s Story

“The Ikigai activity really helped me understand what kind of career might suit me – something hands-on, creative and active.”

Through Building Aspirations, Hana gained greater self-awareness and confidence while exploring future career pathways that aligned with her strengths and interests.

Building brighter futures together

Building Aspirations demonstrates the power of youth work, employer partnerships and targeted investment in young people.

Together, UK Youth, Intact Insurance and local youth organisations are helping young people build confidence, discover their potential and take meaningful steps towards education, employment and training.

As the programme enters its third year, the partnership remains committed to ensuring more young people can access the support, opportunities and encouragement they need to thrive.

Read our latest Building Aspirations news

Check out more videos of the programme

About the partnership

About the partnership

UK Youth and Intact Insurance launched Building Aspirations in 2024 to help tackle the growing challenge of youth unemployment and economic inactivity among young people.

Since launching, the partnership has expanded its reach year on year:

Year 1: Manchester and Liverpool
Year 2: Expanded into Halifax and Leeds
Year 3: Expanded again to include London

Over the next two years, the programme will support a further 360 young people through six delivery partners across England.

At a time when it is estimated that over 1,000,000 young people aged 16–24 across the UK were not in education, employment or training, despite the majority (around 84%) saying they want a job, education or training, many still face significant barriers to accessing opportunities. Building Aspirations provides tailored support that helps young people overcome barriers, build confidence and access meaningful opportunities.