ThinkForward UK

📢 Do you work with young people in Hackney or Haringey? 💡 We are a delivery partner of UK Youth’s Summer Jobs programme and have an exciting opportunity for young people aged 16-20 to gain valuable work experience while earning during the summer holidays. 🌟 We were a partner last year and saw the incredible benefits for young people who increased their work readiness skills, confidence and independence throughout the 6 weeks, whilst earning a wage! 📋 This programme is designed for young people who may be at risk of violence. Eligibility criteria include having been excluded from school, having been in care or having had a social worker. 👉 For more information and eligibility criteria, please click here: https://ow.ly/pQoi50VA4c9 👉 To refer a young person or yourself, click here: https://ow.ly/8GAm50VA4ca UK Youth #workexperience #UKYouth #SummerJobs #Hackney #Haringey

📣We're hiring! We currently have two exciting opportunities to join our team in London: 💡 Employability Events & Partnerships Manager (full-time) 💡 Community Coach (part-time) Our programmes support young people to build the confidence, independence and skills they need to successfully transition into work or further education. If you have experience working with young people and are passionate about supporting them to achieve brighter futures, please apply here: https://ow.ly/yER850VyhEF #charityjobs #hiring #thirdsectorjobs #recruiting #youthemployment #youthsectorjobs #youthsector #londonjobs #coaching #coachingjobs

We are delighted to share that ThinkForward have been awarded the London Youth Gold Quality Mark! This award recognises our commitment to involving young people in decision-making and celebrates the quality of our youth work provision. London Youth has over 500 members and ThinkForward are one of 9 members to have achieved this award, demonstrating our dedication to youth participation. London Youth said, "What a fantastic folder of evidence! Well done ThinkForward for achieving your Gold Quality Mark. It is well deserved, and we are proud to have you as one of our valued members! Congratulations!" We would like to thank the team at London Youth for their support throughout the process. We also want to thank all the wonderful ThinkForward staff and young people who contributed to us achieving this award! 🌟 #LondonYouth #YouthParticipation #YouthLed

📢 Calling all Black and South Asian professionals who want to make a positive difference in young people's lives 🌍 💡 As part of our Future Leaders programme, in partnership with 7PK - Social Mobility and EDI , we are looking for Black and South Asian professionals to voluntarily become mentors for our Black and South Asian young people, who are benefiting from some extra support as they prepare to transition into positive post-16 destinations, such as college or apprenticeships. Mentoring Commitment: ✅ 1 x 2-hour mentoring and safeguarding online training ✅ 2 x full days participating in the in-person mentoring sessions. We will require you for a full-day on two Fridays in May 2025. All sessions will be delivered in London. Benefits to you: 🎯 Develop and improve your ability to coach and mentor others – designed to help you on your leadership journey within your own career 🎯 Contribute to the professional development of a young person from your community 🎯 Demonstrate and document your commitment to CSR and Social Mobility 🎯 Broaden your professional network by building relationships with the other mentors. More info here 👉 https://ow.ly/HReL50UZgLb Apply here 👉 https://ow.ly/p54J50UZgLc Tag anyone you think would be interested below 👇 #mentoring #socialmobility #equity #diversity #inclusion #esg #outreach #communityengagement #blackprofessionals #southasianprofessionals #globalmajority Louis Howell

🌟 Today marks the start of World Autism Acceptance Month 2025. 📉 Employment rates for people with autism or a learning disability are lower than for people with any other form of disability in the UK. Just 30% of people with autism are in any type of paid work. However, research from Mencap shows that 86% of people with learning disabilities not currently in work would like a job. 💡At ThinkForward, we are determined to close this gap. We celebrate the incredible skills and contributions that people with autism bring to the workforce. 📝 Last month we launched our research report: Addressing employment inequity for young people with learning disabilities and autism through coaching. The report explores our learnings and recommendations from the evaluation of our DFN-MoveForward programme, which successfully supported young people with learning disabilities and autism into work. 👉Read it here: https://ow.ly/n0NG50VtcJ4 🗣️ One young adult on the programme secured employment at a local hospital. He said: “I have learnt how to become a good team member and accept responsibility when it’s needed. It has been hard and challenging at times but I’m always ready for a challenge... I love my job because although we work hard and in a professional manner, we can also have a laugh when the time is right.” 🗣️ One employer, who hosted a work placement for four young adults, said: “All four were on time every day, got stuck in and listened to the clear instructions of my existing team, who visibly grew in stature as a result. They approached the placement with a desire to be disciplined and work hard which was refreshing. The unexpected part was how their presence brought even more out of my team.” 🤝Our programme demonstrates that with the right support for both young people and employers, young people with learning disabilities and autism excel in the workplace and have so much to offer employers. Read more about this in our report: https://ow.ly/n0NG50VtcJ4 #WAAM2025 #NothingAboutMeWithoutMe #AssumeICan #SupportedEmployment #WorldAutismAwarenessDay #AutismAwareness #AutismAcceptance

💡Year 9 students on our FutureMe programme in London, Kent and Nottingham have all recently taken part in a Dragons' Den session as part of their ambassador’s programme. ‼️The ambassadors programme involves young people designing and delivering social action projects to tackle issues that are important to them. This year, the young people have chosen to address issues including mental health, poverty and vaping. 📰At the Dragons' Den events, Year 9s participate in a series of fun, team-building activities, including a challenge to build the tallest tower using just newspaper and Sellotape. They then pitch their project to other schools in their region and receive feedback, strengthening their teamwork and communication skills. We asked participants what the most rewarding part of the ambassador's project is. Here's what they said: 🗣️"The skills I’ve gained from it" 🗣️"The feeling of being proud... and understanding that you’ve helped people to understand [a social issue]" 🗣️"Helping people" 💪The Year 9s will now continue to work on their projects until they deliver them in the summer term. We can’t wait to see how they get on! #TFFutureMe #Ambassadors #SocialAction #Confidence

💡Young women on our Future Leaders programme recently visited Uber for an exciting celebration of International Women’s Day! 💼During the event, volunteers shared their professional experience, discussed routes into a career at Uber, and helped the young women to design and pitch their own products. 💪Attendees then collaborated with the volunteers from Uber to reflect on how we can #AccelerateAction to achieve gender equality. Here’s what the attendees had to say: 🗣️“This event helped me to be confident” 🗣️“I loved everything, it made me come out of my comfort zone” 🗣️“I learnt that even if your mind isn’t made up, I still have time” 🌟A big thank you to the incredible staff from Uber for making this day such a success! #TFFutureLeaders #InsightDay #IWD2025 #WorkInsight #ExploreCareers

💡Young people on our Future Leaders programme have attended a number of exciting events over the Spring term. ℹ️The Future Leaders programme works with young Black men, young Black women and young South Asian women who are at risk of being excluded from mainstream education, to support them to prepare for the world of work. 💼54 young people recently attended two events at State Street which were supported by over 25 volunteers from global majority backgrounds. The young people heard about the volunteers’ career journeys and took part in a Dragon’s Den style challenge where they pitched business ideas. One young person said: 🗣️“It was a lovely experience. I got to work with new people and think about how to solve problems in society. It allowed me to be more creative and more open minded about problems in society. It was a really exciting and positive experience. I would definitely do it again.” 📝Additionally, young people visited Equifax. They spent the day hearing about different careers, speed networking and participating in a marketing challenge. The young people were encouraged to step out of their comfort zone through public speaking, using their creativity to pitch their ideas to senior members in the marketing team. Here’s what attendees said about the day: 🗣️“I learnt what an HR role is and what they do at the business.” 🗣️“It was good to get to learn how to handle money.” 🗣️“[The event was] really helpful if you want this type of job.” 🌟A huge thank you to all the staff who have made these events so insightful. #TFFutureLeaders #RepresentationMatters #InsightDay #ReadyForWork

📢 Do you work with young adults with learning disabilities and/or autism in Camden, Hackney, Islington or Tower Hamlets? 🔎 We’re currently accepting referrals from professionals for our Making Strides programme. 💡Making Strides is a programme which provides young adults with a specialist Progression Coach, who will offer support through one-to-one coaching sessions, group workshops and facilitating employer connections. 💼 Participants will have access to a range of support to help them identify their future aspirations, develop their skills, access peer support and ultimately seek to secure paid employment. 🏆 We have an excellent record of success, with 71% of work-ready young people on our previous programme transitioning into paid employment, compared to the national average of just 4.7% of adults with learning disabilities getting into paid work. Young adults are eligible if they: ✅are 16-24 years old ✅have a mild to moderate learning disability and/or autism ✅have been NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) for under 10 months or will be NEET at their next point of transition ✅have an aspiration for paid work ✅are a resident in Camden, Hackney, Islington or Tower Hamlets ✅have the ability to travel to attend support sessions. 👉 Please click here to complete the referral form: https://ow.ly/XlSZ50Vo9Ib Please tag any organisations or individuals who would benefit from hearing about our programme! 👇 #learningdisability #learningdisabilities #autism #supportedemployment #skillsdevelopment #inclusiveemployment #disabilitysupport #disabilityemployment #camden #hackney #islington #towerhamlets

💡Last week, young people on our FutureMe programme visited Mitie for an impactful #InsightDay at their prestigious London offices. 🎤Volunteers from Mitie shared their career journeys and talked about different areas of the business. 💼Attendees then took part in exercises which focused on growing self-assuredness and communication, which are two of the seven Work Readiness Capabilities young people on our programmes work on developing. 📝Afterwards, the attendees had the opportunity to become interviewers in a reverse interview activity. They quizzed Mitie staff and gave them feedback on how Mitie could become a more attractive employer for young people. This is what attendees had to say after the event: 🗣️“This was an eye-opening event into this company. [It] showed me even the jobs that you might think are small make a big difference in our community." 🗣️"I am going to get a job here... watch me!" 🗨️One volunteer also said, “A fantastic event, fun and enjoyable and encouraged mutual learning for both young people and volunteers.” A huge thank you to the amazing team from Mitie who made this day so spectacular! #TFFutureMe #SelfAssured #GoodCommunicator #WorkInsight #ReadyForWork