Works+ helps young people in Scotland get into work

In the Scottish Borders, the share of young people not in work or education is almost twice the average for the rest of the UK. Many young people struggle with complex mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and low social skills after years of isolation caused by the pandemic. Now Kavli Trust is giving NOK 2.1 million to Works+ and the project "Doing it Differently", which will help 150 young people get a job, pursue education or other training. 

The landscape of the Scottish Borders is beautiful, but behind the hills and rivers lies one of Scotland's most serious youth crises. While 95 percent of Scottish school leavers move on to work, education or training, the figure drops to 82 percent for young people from the most disadvantaged areas and those with experience of the care system.

Many live scattered across rural and coastal areas, with poor bus services and long journeys to work and courses. The combination of isolation and poverty takes its toll: 59 percent of the young people who seek help from Works+ have anxiety, depression or other mental health challenges. At the same time, waiting times for public mental health support are long, and many end up caught between systems that treat unemployment and mental health as two separate problems.

It is exactly in this gap that Works+ operates. The organisation was founded in 2018, and has since built its programme «Doing it Differently» around a simple idea: young people struggling both financially and mentally need more than help writing a CV. They need to build confidence, social skills and belief in themselves.

«Young people who are completely outside working life lose faith that they have something to contribute. Works+ sees the whole person behind the CV, and that is the approach we want to support,» says Ingrid Paasche, CEO of Kavlifondet.

The programme runs for eight weeks with structured work training and close individual follow-up. Participants gain certification in first aid, food hygiene and personal finance, and get work experience with local partners, from the Scottish Public Pensions Agency to the supermarket chain ASDA. But what really sets Works+ apart from other schemes is what happens afterwards: 18 months of follow-up once the course ends, during which the young people still have someone to call when work, finances or everyday life get difficult.

« So many of the young people walking through our doors feel completely written off and trapped by unemployment. Our 18-month aftercare isn't just an extra service; it’s the safety net that gives them the confidence to take risks, rebuild their trust, and step back into the world. The Kavli Trust’s support provides the long-term stability we need to ensure no young person in the Scottish Borders has to walk that journey alone, says Scott Wight, project manager and founder of Works+. 

Kavli Trust's support of NOK 2.1 million, spread over three years, goes towards running the core programme “Doing it Differently” and provides predictability, stability and assurance that all participants receive good follow-up through the AFTERCARE programme. 

«What makes this project interesting is the holistic approach, and that the work of strengthening young people's self-esteem and social skills is an integrated part of the project. That the young people also get 18 months of follow-up, I believe, is an important success factor that is crucial for lasting positive change, says Anette Fondevik, Grant Manager UK at Kavli Trust.

During the project period, Works+ will work directly with 150 young people who complete the core programme, and it is estimated that this will have positive ripple effects for a further 350 people in their networks. Calculations made by an independent third party estimate that every pound invested in the project returns almost four pounds in savings on public benefits and increased tax revenue. But the figure the organisation itself cares most about is how many of the 150 are still in work, education or training when the 18 months of follow-up come to an end.

Facts about the project

• Works+ is a charity based in Galashiels that runs «Doing it Differently», a programme combining work training, 1:1 support and 18 months of follow-up for young people in the Scottish Borders.
• The target group is young people aged 16 to 25 who are not in work, education or training, and who often also struggle with their mental health.
• The project is carried out in the Scottish Borders, Scotland, based in Galashiels.
• Kavli Trust is giving NOK 2.1 million over three years to help more young people move out of exclusion and into lasting work, education and other positive destinations.