We need a new solution for 600k anxious ‘written off’ young people not working due to their health – often on benefits and receiving no employment support. These young people aren’t using public services: they don’t go to job centres, or even GPs.
Working with youth consultancy Livity, we spoke with these young people to design our new solution, “Reframe”, our West London pilot which aims to support 200 young people to move closer to work.
What they told us also informed our Closer to Work report – read it, and find out more about the Reframe trial in West London.
Our findings
Our key findings are stark but also hopeful:
- These young people aren’t using public services: they don’t go to job centres, or even GPs.
- They’re disengaged: they’re not ready for work experience or employment support programmes.
- They want to hear from Gen Z workers who can inspire them.
- They lack trust: support needs to build it, along with confidence and resilience (reliability, punctuality, communication, professional conduct).
- Employers need to step-in: low-pressure “micro” introductions like one or two days work-shadowing is key.
- They want to work, but they’re anxious and uncertain: lack of readiness should not be mistaken for a lack of ambition or ability.
- Support needs to show clear, immediate value through their eyes and on their terms, using varied, social and engaging formats.
- The solution is highly bespoke: combining resilience and employment coaching, with supportive peer-to-peer connections, drop-in fun skills sessions and micro-introductions to employer.
- Progression needs to be the aim at this stage: so they are ready to move onto formal employment support, work experience programmes like Movement to Work, or even a job.
Below are two snapshots from our report: a skills toolbox for every young person, and how the Reframe programme works in practice.
Join us in moving young people ‘Closer to Work’
Julie Leonard, our Chief Impact Officer, says: “As a charity, we’re continually asking ourselves, “what more can we do?” We are investing in our charitable funding, know-how and partnership working to reach, engage and help these young people. We are sharing our evidence and want to work with others to scale what works.”
The Reframe programme will be trialled over the next year. Find out more here.
Read our full Closer to Work report here.
Support this work:
- If you’re an employer or philanthropic organisation and want to work with us to deliver and scale Reframe, contact julie.leonard@shaw-trust.org.uk
- With thanks to Livity for conducting this research, and to Julia Rausing for investing in this first phase.
