As youth unemployment levels hit their highest level in 40 years, Channel 4 News interviewed Kerel, a young person from The Social Switch Project, about his experience and how the programme has enabled him to build crucial digital skills to help him find work.
Participants from our Digital Edge programme joined the Microsoft Stories podcast to discuss the importance of programmes that offer both technical skills along with employment skills, and how their experiences on Digital Edge have inspired them for the future.
Catch22 was featured in a Big Issue article which discussed the skills that people can bring to the workplace, even if they have not got the academic grades they hoped for. Sam Stanyer, Operations Manager, gives his top tips to those entering the workforce.
The Barclays Lifeskills programme helps people aged 16+ who are facing barriers to work find education and employment opportunities. We work with high-growth businesses and entrepreneurs, including clients and suppliers, to open up their doors to new talent. Workshops and insight days also help volunteer professionals connect with people on the programme.
Working with the support of partners such as JPMorgan Chase & Co Foundation and the Rothschild Foundation, Catch22 is advancing its vision to address the UK employment crisis and empower those furthest from the job market to take a positive first step. Horizons is set to initially help 400 people who face barriers to work into jobs and training. It is one of the first programmes to address both unemployment and underemployment.
Thanks to National Grid and Catch22, 450 young people across the UK from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds will be supported to progress careers in the energy industry. Catch22 is one of the first UK based organisations to participate as a charity partner in Grid for Good - National Grid’s new flagship Corporate Responsibility community investment programme.
"Catch22's advisors took the time to get to know me as a person, and through getting know me, they managed to fizzle down to a specific type of role that could suit me as a person."
Luke, service user
We’re piloting new ways of supporting young people leaving the care system into apprenticeships. Bright Light is delivered in partnership with The Children’s Society and funded by The Clothworkers’ Foundation. We believe apprenticeships offer an amazing opportunity to learn while you earn, boosting career opportunities within a supported environment.
Kickstart Community is a team of social innovators who want to give young people entering the most hostile labour market since the 1980s the opportunity to swim and not simply tread water. Incubated by charity and social business Catch22, we are bringing together purposeful employers and young people for Kickstart placements with a difference.
Our Inspiring Families and Family Works programmes have been designed to support local people who are part of a family with complex barriers to gain employment, improving life for the whole family. These voluntary programmes operate in the London Boroughs of Islington, Haringey, Enfield, Newham and Tower Hamlets, with clients receiving a dedicated personal advisor to fully support them.
"I have no doubt that Joel will flourish in his new role - not only because he's a really capable lad, but because he knows what opportunities Arcus FM has opened up for him, and that he can have a lifelong career when his apprenticeship has finished."
Career Coach, Bright Light
Jobs22 is an exciting new entity created by and jointly owned by Catch22 and Angus Knight Group a major provider of human services across Australia and skills provider in the UK. Jobs22 will bring together the best of the third and private sectors with aligned values to deliver social and economic outcomes for British people. This is particularly important now as the effects of COVID-19 bite into the economy.
Inspiring Connections, funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, is a personal and professional development programme for people to gain the opportunities and momentum they need to take the next steps towards their career goal. This programme brings people with barriers to work together with a range of successful professionals to unlock social capital and help them get the right motivation and support.
Young people aged 16-25 who are at risk of serious violence are set to benefit from an inspiring new employability programme delivered by Catch22, The Prince’s Trust and Apprentice Nation. The Creating Opportunities Programme – funded by the Home Office and HM Treasury – will help up to 1,500 young people develop the skills they need to make a successful transition into work, training and apprenticeships.
“I didn't go to school for over four years before I came here. Catch22 has got me back into education. I can't thank them enough."
Learner at Catch22 College in Great Yarmouth
As a government registered training provider, Catch22 provides a range of apprenticeships for all industries. We deliver apprenticeships at intermediate, advanced and higher levels (Level 2 to Level 5) to provide a comprehensive workforce training solution suitable for any individual or employer.
We specialise in opportunities for students who, for whatever reason, don’t want to stay in a traditional academic environment. Students learn in a smaller, highly supportive environment with a focus on helping them gain the skills, qualifications and experiences they need to achieve their goals in life.
Designed for 16-17 year olds, NCS is a youth programme that runs every summer and autumn, during school holidays. The experience is all about emboldening young people, by giving them the buzz of being an adult (without all the responsibilities). Catch22 has worked with NCS since 2010.
Funded by the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, we’ve partnered with Redthread to tackle youth violence and online behaviour. Our training programme teaches frontline workers how to have difficult conversations with at-risk young people about violent content on social media. We also teach young people skills in social media management to harness their skills for good.
Catch22 is working with Microsoft UK to deliver Digital Edge, a programme that opens pathways into digital careers for people facing barriers to employment. By designing and delivering a fresh pre-employment training program focusing on what support employers need to diversify their workforce, we’re helping young people re-imagine their futures and secure digital apprenticeships or jobs.
Digital Leap is a new employability programme, funded by Salesforce and delivered by Catch22. The programme will be based in London and will create pathways into employment for people facing barriers to access top career opportunities in the tech sector. Supporting 80 people in two years, Digital Leap will open up diversity in the digital sector, address the UK skills gap and ultimately tackle inequality.
17-year-old Anthony had A Levels and some retail work experience, but his age and lack of opportunities meant he struggled to find a sustainable job. Through The Social Switch Project’s free three-week Social Media Training programme, his potential was highlighted by his Careers Coach. Following the programme, Anthony was offered a role as a Digital Marketing Apprentice at Google. Anthony and his family are ecstatic and feel positive about the direction of his future career.
Together with over 70 of the country’s leading youth charities, employer groups and experts, Catch22 has joined the Youth Employment Group. The Youth Employment Group has been set up to tackle the problem of youth unemployment in the wake of COVID-19, providing a cross-sector emergency response to rising concerns about the economic and educational impact of coronavirus on young people.
Movement to Work is a charity coalition of the UK’s leading employers, civil society and government, supporting young people to break the ‘no job – no experience’ cycle that stops talented people getting into education, employment or training. Catch22 connects people facing barriers to work to the quality work placements in the Movement to Work network and supports their agenda to bring about lasting social change.
FutureDotNow is a coalition of leading companies and civil society groups, working in collaboration with government to boost the UK’s digital skills. We have joined forces with FutureDotNow to work on our shared mission of driving change, to ensure that everyone across the UK can thrive in a digital world. By enhancing the UK’s digital skills, Catch22 seeks to empower individuals with the right skills for the future of work.
RORA – the Ride Out Recession Alliance exists to raise awareness of the number of people facing eviction and joblessness as a result of COVID-19 and the recession. Catch22 has joined RORA to help develop and implement practical steps and solutions to prevent families losing their homes, and support people to remain in employment.
