Corporate Partners

Unemployment amongst young people is reaching epidemic proportions with more than 20% of 18-24 year old out of work. And it’s not for lack of ability or educational qualifications – graduates are just as likely to be unemployed as other young people. Friday People aims to ease the burden of unemployment for all young people and it’s worth listening to comments by Maidstone MP, Helen Grant, after she met the team in June this year:

“The work that Friday People are undertaking is a brilliant example of lateral thinking to get young people into employment. The young people that I met were all very talented, enthusiastic and committed to seeking employment. Many had been trying the traditional methods to gain employment without success, but found that the Friday People approach had opened doors for them.”

With our blueprint for regeneration, we aim to create practical projects supporting local communities on a national scale – each project developed and lead by young jobseekers working with Friday People.

And that's where you come in - by helping us coach and mentor the young people running these project teams to ensure they are able to draw on the experience and specialist expertise that you can offer. .

Young people aren't leaving school with the skills they need for the workplace. In fact, almost 9 out 10 employers believe that young people have a less committed attitude to work than older candidates. As a result, this year’s

Youth Enquiry found that only 6% of employers are willing to hire young 18-24 year olds. In any economy where there are more than 10 jobseekers of all ages and experience chasing every vacancy, we are in danger of creating a generation who are not only unemployed but also unemployable

At the heart of our approach is the recognition that employers need to see concrete evidence that young people can make a positive contribution to any business – and there’s no better example of commercial ability than to be part of a programme that creates a successful organisation out of nothing.

For example, for the 2011 Maidstone River Festival we organised marketing, live performances and sponsorship from brand leaders such as Cadbury to deliver a free all day event to an audience of more than 20,000 visitors. But we intend to do more. Our aim is to deliver results that are not just examples of inspired job creation – they must become live training programmes where the young people running each project are advised, coached and brought to a higher level of achievement through the support of volunteer advisers from the business community In partnership we will instil a strong work ethic that helps to prepare them for employment, they will drive the projects that regenerate our communities and your coaching will help ensure that together, we can develop a workforce with the expertise and commitment to secure our commercial future. Our young people have suffered as a result of the financial crisis; with your help we'd like to give them a better chance of building a fulfilling career.

Read about what we have been able to deliver for our partners