Youth Engagement Service | Purpose Driven

Youth Engagement
& Enrichment Activities

Empowering Futures

Building Bridges to the World of Work

Unlocking Potential:
Your Pathway to a Brighter Future

Every young person deserves the opportunity of a rewarding future, but we know that for many, background can unfairly dictate potential. At Purpose-Driven Careers CIC, we're dedicated to breaking those barriers and empowering young people to achieve their dreams. We believe in prevention and early intervention, ensuring young people get the right support to build a sustainable, meaningful life at the right time.

For some young people, a combination of factors can make it harder to achieve positive outcomes without tailored support, complex challenges facing young people that require holistic, long-term, and personalised support. Anything from getting a diagnosis for a learning difficulty to needing financial help, finding a mentor, or joining community programmes that blend job skills, health support, and other practical assistance.

Who We Support

We recognise that certain groups of young people face unique and often significant hurdles as they navigate the crucial transition from education to the world of work and into adulthood.

We focus our efforts on those who need our help the most, including a diverse group of young people who may be disengaged in education and at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment, or training). Our work also supports young people from underrepresented groups and those from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds, as well as those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). We assist those from low-income households eligible for free school meals, including young carers, young people with parenting responsibilities, and those earning below the London Living Wage. Additionally, we provide support to care-experienced young people, those leaving care, justice-involved young people and ex-offenders.

A Dedicated Focus:

Supporting Vulnerable Youth

At Purpose-Driven Careers CIC, we provide targeted and tailored support specifically designed to address the distinct needs of care-experienced young people and those who have been involved with the justice system. For young people who have been in care, the transition to independence can be particularly challenging, often lacking the familial and social support networks that many others take for granted. We offer guidance and practical assistance to help them build the skills, confidence, and resilience necessary to secure and maintain employment. Similarly, we firmly believe in the potential for rehabilitation and positive redirection for young people who have had contact with the justice system. By providing pathways to meaningful work, we aim to support their reintegration into society, reduce reoffending rates, and empower them to build productive and fulfilling lives.

The Urgent Need for Intervention

The statistics paint a clear picture of the challenges faced by young people in the current economic landscape:

High Youth Unemployment: The fact that 11.7% of young people aged 16-24 were unemployed in 2024 underscores the fierce competition for entry-level positions and the need for targeted interventions to support young people in gaining a foothold in the job market.

The Power of Diversity: The data revealing that companies with diverse management teams achieve 19% higher revenues due to innovation, highlights not only the ethical imperative but also the clear business advantage of embracing diverse talent pools, including those from underrepresented backgrounds.

The Impact of Inclusive Cultures: The statistic that organisations with inclusive cultures are 2.3 times more likely to capture new markets further reinforces the idea that creating welcoming and inclusive environments is not just socially responsible, but also drives economic success by better understanding and serving a wider range of customers.

The Vulnerability of Care-Experienced Young People and Care Leavers: The significant number of looked-after children and the stark realities faced by care leavers underscore the urgent need for dedicated support to ensure these young people are not left behind as they transition to adulthood. The disproportionate representation of care leavers in the homeless population is a particularly concerning indicator of the systemic challenges they face.

Our Approach:
Holistic, Engaging, and Impactful

Our holistic, engaging, and impactful approach puts young people at the centre of decisions that affect their lives. We provide them with clear, accessible information and use a trauma-informed approach to understand how positive change happens.

Our long-term vision is to help young people move into sustained, fulfilling education, employment, or training with inclusive organisations, using their new skills and networks to build social capital and achieve more positive life outcomes. To accomplish this, we offer engaging activities that empower them to develop new skills, strengthen existing ones, and try new experiences while having fun and socialising. We also focus on teaching essential life and work skills such as listening, speaking, problem-solving, creativity, staying positive, and teamwork.

Our delivery model is flexible, adaptable, and efficient, ensuring we respond to each young person's unique needs with motivational strategies, one-on-one support, and goal-setting. We help them develop a positive attitude, confidence, and self-leadership, then provide follow-on support and vocational options to explore career paths. We believe in collaborative efforts, with professionals working together to align teams and data, connect providers and employers, and develop data-sharing strategies.

We take a sustainable and holistic approach to address structural barriers to accessing EET by providing support for digital skills, mitigating financial and transport barriers, and using a place-based approach to align pathways with individual needs.

Ready to take the next step on your journey?

Youth Engagement & Enrichment Activities