Helping Young People in Greater Manchester Find and Succeed in Work

• The Growth Company has a long history of helping young people in Greater Manchester build skills and prepare for work.
• In the past year, we've provided employment support to 1,280 18–21-year-olds across the region.
• Our Youth Project pilot offers tailored online support to help young people overcome barriers to work and explore various career options.

The Growth Company has decades of experience when it comes to delivering large-scale employment support and skills programmes to young people, especially in Greater Manchester.

Our work includes the successful delivery of the Kickstart scheme, promoting T Level work placements, and running Aspire in Partnership.

We also provide partner benefits through Our Pass, offer a comprehensive workforce development programme, and match participants with an extensive network of employers so they can access a wide range of opportunities.

These efforts have produced significant results.

For instance, in the past year, we have supported 1,280 18–21-year-olds across all ten boroughs.

In addition, we trained and supported 1,085 young people who are not in education or employment, achieving an 88% progression rate into employment or further learning.

Meanwhile, we supported 806 young people to start new apprenticeships.

Youth Project

To complement this work, the Growth Company also launched the Youth Project last November – a six-month pilot designed to help 16–24‑year‑olds move closer to their local labour market through accessible, structured, and responsive online provision.

To date, the pilot has supported 91 participants across the north of England.

It was created in response to our own survey findings, which highlighted persistent barriers to work, such as low confidence, limited communication skills, and a lack of job-readiness.

As the pilot evolves, surveys and focus groups are helping us to understand which types of support make the biggest difference. Current sessions cover topics such as wellbeing, professional relationships, and exploring different career options, including apprenticeships.

A recent focus group brought together four participants aged 19 to 24, who shared some of the challenges they face, noting key knowledge gaps, complicated requirements for entry-level roles, and transport difficulties when jobs involved travel over long distances. They also pointed to the value of volunteering in helping them to develop key skills.

Their feedback highlighted several opportunities to strengthen future delivery: deeper employer partnerships, better‑aligned work placements, more wellbeing support, and clearer advice on transport options and remote or hybrid work opportunities.

Billie Kemp, Partnership and Integration Manager at the Growth Company, said: “Young people know better than anyone what support they need, so it’s important that we listen to their experiences.

“Many are facing real difficulties in today’s labour market. Helping them overcome any obstacles isn’t only important for their own futures, but also for our communities and the wider economy.

“Their feedback is already helping us shape the Youth Project, making sure what we offer is useful, practical, and genuinely helps them take their next steps.”

On participant commented: "I've learnt more about jobs and how I can improve my confidence and other stuff like apprenticeships."

Another participant’s mother agreed that the project is making a real difference: “The sessions hold his interest, and he appears to be engaging with them well. He’s found that his knowledge has increased greatly in subjects that have been relevant to him and his needs.

“Overall, I believe that the sessions and activities involved are helpful for my son in going forward as his aim is to gain paid employment.”

The Growth Company

The Growth Company is an award-winning social enterprise with a 30-year history of enabling growth, creating jobs, and improving lives.

We help people and businesses across the UK to develop, grow, and succeed through a range of employment, skills, and business support services. We provide employment, justice, and health services across the North West and beyond.

Contact us today to find out more.