Celebrating one year of connecting young people to employment opportunities.
Following the Reach Up programme (2017-22), Building Connections was created to establish stronger pathways in to employment for young people. In partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and delivered by Greater Manchester Youth Network, Together As One, Sussex Clubs for Young People and Young Leicestershire, youth workers at each Delivery Partner organisation have been developing their skills as Community Link Workers, building their connections with employers, and supporting young people to explore pathways to employment.
An important part of the Building Connections programme is bringing young people and employers together to connect in ‘real time’ at events. Over the past year these events have taken the form of everything from workshops to large-scale job fairs – all with the aim of breaking down the barriers that make it hard for young people to find employment.
Brentford
Brentford aimed to engage young people outside of school through a range of activities designed to build transferable skills, provide career insights, and offer real-world experiences. The initiative combined mentoring, workshops, after-school clubs, industry visits, and short-term placements across sectors like Sports, Law, and STEAM. Programmes such as Future Focus, Training Ground, and STEAM clubs were tailored to support over 250 participants, with strong collaboration from both existing and new business partners. The approach included mentoring by local professionals, exposure to various industries through events and visits, and opportunities like job fairs and work experience to strengthen connections between young people and the world of work.
Sculpt
Sculpt’s approach to the Building Connections programme focused on creating meaningful employer encounters for young people through a range of tailored initiatives. These include structured employability programmes like Learn2Work for young people with SEND, Bankside Futures for immersive business exposure, and Trust in You for leadership and mentoring. Additional support comes from platforms such as the Youth Advisory Board, Sculpt’s alumni network, and collaborations like Sparking Futures with the South London Careers Hub. Leveraging strong partnerships with Careers Hubs, Business Improvement Districts, and London South Bank University, Sculpt is well-positioned to engage business volunteers and expand opportunities in key sectors such as tech, healthcare, and logistics.
Young Somerset
Young Somerset’s Building Connections programme aims to support 200–250 young people into employment through a coordinated effort led by a dedicated project team and an apprentice supporting delivery as part of their training. The programme aimed to deliver a range of support including CV workshops, mock interviews, and participation in Enterprise Adviser Sessions, helping to promote opportunities across the county. Strong partnerships with organisations such as the Somerset Chamber of Commerce, Education Business Partnership, local councils, and a wide network of businesses enabled meaningful work experiences across sectors like hospitality, retail, digital, construction, and mechanics. Outreach through regional networks and publications helped raise awareness and further strengthen employer engagement across Somerset.
Smash Youth
SMASH Youth intended to deliver the Building Connections programme by integrating employability support into their existing work with eligible young people, equipping their wider staff team to better engage around careers and community links. In addition, they planned to participate in careers days across Swindon, using these events to connect with young people and offer follow-up support focused on skills development and employability advice. With partnerships including Swindon Borough Council and Nationwide, and ambitions to expand connections with organisations like the National Trust and Swindon Chamber of Commerce, the programme aimed to open up work experience and mentoring opportunities to raise aspirations and support young people into employment.
Brighter Futures for Children
Brighter Futures for Children intends to deliver the Building Connections programme by identifying NEET and at-risk young people aged 16–25 through existing caseloads, referrals, and local tracking systems. Their approach focused on tailored support, starting with initial assessments and followed by regular one-to-one or group sessions—delivered face-to-face, virtually, or by phone—to explore career goals, remove barriers, and build confidence. Working in partnership with employers like Thames Water, they planned to deliver programmes such as the six-week “Step into Employment,” while also registering with AQA to accredit employability sessions. The programme aimed to support at least 200 young people with career advice, work experience, and volunteering opportunities, while developing further employer links with both established partners and new businesses, with a strong focus on inclusive and supportive workplaces.
Wigan Youth Zone
Wigan Youth Zone intended to deliver the Building Connections programme through a mix of group sessions, one-to-ones, and workshops focused on building employability skills and raising aspirations. Young people were actively involved in shaping the offer, identifying priorities such as cooking and budgeting, job search support, team-building activities, and financial life skills. The programme also included youth-led mock interviews with local businesses, career talks, site visits, and sessions on self-employment to boost confidence and career awareness. With a strong network of existing and new employer partners, Wigan Youth Zone aimed to provide hands-on experiences, workplace exposure, and tailored support to help young people explore and access a range of employment pathways.
Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN)
Working with their young leaders, GMYN ran three workshop-style events, bringing local employers and young people together in Salford, Bury and Manchester. Young people and employers spent time sharing the challenges, barriers and opportunities for employment locally. Closing their event series with a bang, GMYN presented a showcase of videos made across the programme with and by young people.
Young Leicestershire
By keeping their event small and inviting groups of young people to attend in waves, Young Leicestershire created a safe environment for neurodivergent and disabled young people to meet employers and find out about employment support services. Over 45 young people from local colleges and Special Educational Needs and Disability youth groups came to find out what opportunities the world of work might hold for them.
Together As One (TAO)
The team at Together As One worked closely with the Coca-Cola Europacific Partners volunteers to pull off a large-scale event and Slough’s first ever youth-led jobs fair. Over 80 young people explored apprenticeship opportunities, took part in mock interview panels, and connected with Slough-based employers across the evening event, which included an Augmented Reality activity… and pizza!
