Who We Help
For many young people there is a gnawing uncertainty about what they want to do with their lives. They may have had a good education and come from a supportive family, but unlike some of their friends, they are missing the vital sense of purpose and direction for the next important steps.
Other school leavers know exactly what they want to do and the steps they need to take towards their goals. These people tend to mesh well with educational institutions and employers. They use the educational resources they need, become valuable members of society and more than repay the system that supported them.
But for many other young people, the future they face is not so simple. They feel the pressure to grow up, but are unclear about their life direction. They may lack opportunities, resources and confidence. Despite their best efforts, the increasingly complex world they are inheriting is exciting, yet also challenging, confusing and disappointing. Experience has indicated there are three core issues at the heart of many young people’s apprehension today:
- A lack of self awareness and knowledge about their talents and capacities
- A lack of appropriate support and validation for who they really are
- A deficit of opportunities to explore, discover and understand how they can begin the process of living an adult life
For these young people who have lost —or not yet found, their way, HESA research shows that one in seven undergraduates drop out of a course before the end of the first year. Many others press on, only to discover later that they are in the wrong field. As a result:
- Around one in five young people in the UK are not in work, education or training
- Youth unemployment costs the UK economy £10 million per day in lost productivity
It’s not just the financial and social costs of unemployment, wasted university places and unproductive years in the workplace. There are also huge personal costs to those who struggle on below their potential, making them vulnerable to anxiety and depression.
