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We support young people to be ready to learn and work by raising; aspirations, sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy, communication and interpersonal skills, and fostering a determination to succeed. Young people have a better understanding of the career opportunities available, the skills required, an improved sense of how their life experiences can be valuable in the workplace and are supported to move into employment, education or training.


The Get A Job course helped me much more than I initially thought it would. Even more in my case, since I’ve never worked, seeing and experiencing how different companies work and the countless job positions each company has; It’s opened my eyes with my job searches. On another note, getting to know different people from around Bolton, each one with their stories and strengths; I’ve very much enjoyed the opportunity.

Female aged 18 BLGC


Evidence

Ready for work/learning

  • 78% say staff and volunteers at the Youth Zone encourage them to prepare for the future
  • 68% feel better prepared for the future – this increases to 79% amongst frequent attenders
  • 66% are more confident in getting the qualifications/experience needed to progress
  • 66% are clearer about what they need for the job/work they want in the future
  • 64% work harder at school/college/work/training
  • 58% report getting better marks in class or perform better at work/training
  • Results were particularly strong for White British members. National research shows white working class pupils achieve the lowest GCSE grades and are most likely to be Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) (Sutton Trust: Class differences, 2016)
  • For both our Inspiring Futures and Get a Job programmes 87% of participants reported an increase in workplace skills and attributes

I hated school but then when I saw, oh I have [Inspiring Futures training] today, it’s like ‘jump out of bed, get dressed

Inspiring Futures participant, The Way Youth Zone

Achievements

  • 17 of the 20 schools with a high density of young members attending a Youth Zone, for which there was data, had improved their Attainment 8 Scores or had seen less decline than the national average
  • Of the 1,669 NEET young people who have participated on Get a Job across the OnSide Network, 83% moved into employment, education or training (24% of participants had a disability or additional needs)
  • 97% of stakeholders consider that the Youth Zones effectively support all young people to achieve their potential

Aspirations

  • A 2015 study showed a 17.2% increase in aspirations amongst Youth Zone members

Their Get a Job course and their jobs fair and after exam support is the best in Wirral. I have personally seen the improvements in so many young people that other organisations had given up with.

Stakeholder, The Hive, Community Stakeholder

Ben’s story: “When you’re in that positive space, anything is possible”

Meet Ben, a 19-year-old member at Legacy, Croydon Youth Zone. Ben struggled with his employment status due to severe stress and anxiety. He struggled to…

Read the case study

Our Goals

Goal 1

Give young people exciting, safe places to connect and grow.

See the outcomes

Goal 2

Help young people to lead healthier, happier lives.

See the outcomes

Goal 3

Enable young people to better face the challenges of life.

See the outcomes

Goal 5

Stronger communities with empowered, active, caring citizens.

See the outcomes

Impact of OnSide

OnSide exists to transform young people's lives across the UK through a powerful network of state-of-the art Youth Zones that offer life changing opportunities and vital relationships with youth workers that support young people to build and achieve their aspirations.

Learn more

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