A leading youth charity is to set up a new employment programme for young people struggling with their mental health after receiving a £1m prize.
UK Youth will help those affected navigate the job market, after placing the winning bid for funding from the Sir Alec Reed Prize, funded by The Reed Foundation – the charitable arm of the recruitment company, funding skills development.
The initiative, to be developed in partnership with young people and youth workers, will include workshop sessions, professional mentoring, internships and work placements.
The charity is also planning to work alongside employers to make the workplace environment more suitable for young people experiencing mental health issues.
Vicky Browning, UK Youth interim chief executive officer, said: “We know from our existing programmes that experiencing poor mental health remains one of the greatest and most consistent barriers to young people entering and remaining in employment.
“It is vital young people get the early help they need to thrive, particularly in terms of mental health.”
According to a 2024 report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there are an estimated 576, 000 economically inactive young people, aged 16 to 24, who are not in employment, education, or training, in 2024.
Alex Chapman, chair of The Reed Foundation, said: “Statistics show that young people who are experiencing poor mental health are more likely to be out of work than their healthy peers.”
Describing the grant as “game changing”, UK Youth said it was confident the work would empower and transform the lives of young people.