Volunteer It Yourself provides targeted, on-the-job construction training to young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET.
We’re excited to announce Volunteer It Yourself as our newest portfolio partner. Alongside an initial one-year investment of £100K through the Skills Fund, Volunteer It Yourself will gain access to Impetus' in-house capacity-building expertise and our world-class pro-bono network to help drive their impact.
With one in eight young people in the UK not in education, employment, or training (NEET), innovative organisations that provide young people with the skills and support they need to thrive in work are essential.
“Impetus’ new Skills Fund is an exciting opportunity to ensure more young people are equipped to thrive in employment, and we're thrilled to welcome Volunteer It Yourself to accompany us on this journey. Combining evidence-backed on-the-job training in construction with local regeneration, Volunteer It Yourself’s unique model turns construction projects into opportunities to strengthen communities and develop marketable trade skills. Connecting young people with high-demand sectors will be crucial to solving the NEET crisis.”
Susannah Hardyman MBE, CEO, Impetus
Introducing Volunteer It Yourself
Volunteer It Yourself provides on-the-job training to young people who are NEET or at-risk-of-becoming NEET, which has potential to be a particularly impactful intervention for young people facing multiple barriers to the labour market.
Our Youth Jobs Gap research revealed that factors like socioeconomic background, qualification level, special educational needs, and hometown can compound, making certain groups of young people up to three times more likely to be NEET than average.
With young people facing diverse and overlapping barriers to work, Volunteer It Yourself ensures its programme is targeted and localised. By volunteering to renovate local community spaces under the guidance of professional industry mentors, young people can gain key trade skills and earn a City & Guilds and/or NOCN accredited qualification, with 89% of projects serving the 30% most deprived local neighbourhoods.
“Volunteer It Yourself’s programme instils a powerful sense of local ownership and personal contribution, while its on-the-job training fills a vital skills gap and offers a crucial first step into a career. We’re excited to work with Volunteer It Yourself to refine their programme and scale their impact for the young people facing the greatest barriers to employment.”
Ben Brodie, Investment Director and Employment Lead, Impetus
The Skills Fund
The NEET challenge is complex, stemming from both individual barriers – like low qualifications and socioeconomic disadvantage – and systemic gaps in the infrastructure designed to support young people into work.
Impetus’ new Skills Fund aims to tackle these challenges from both sides. We know different young people will require different solutions, so we’re committed to building an evidence base of ‘what works’ in skills provision. From there, we’ll use those insights to inform research, influence policy, and drive systemic change. That begins with working shoulder-to-shoulder with pioneering skills organisations like Volunteer It Yourself.
“It's brilliant to be partnering with Impetus at such a pivotal moment for VIY. It's the right type of support at exactly the right time. Their expertise in helping organisations grow their impact aligns with our ambition to strengthen our offer for young people and to drive employment outcomes. This partnership will allow us to better support our learners, especially those aged 16+ and NEET, to successfully progress beyond the end of their VIY experience into apprenticeships and jobs. By combining Impetus’ insight and investment with VIY’s hands-on, community-based approach, we can ensure more young people gain the confidence, skills and pathways they need to succeed.”
Tim Reading, CEO, Volunteer It Yourself
