“Being paired with a company and role that suited my interests has had a massive positive impact on my life.” Mehmet
A 2026 report on the youth jobs crisis revealed that the number of young people not working or studying has surpassed a million for the first time in more than a decade and overall unemployment in Britain at its highest level since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. One of the biggest challenges is that the first rung of the career ladder is out of reach for many young people.
The Islington Giving Jobs Placement Programme, developed in collaboration with and funded by Macquarie since 2021, joins up community partners and businesses to connect local residents with pathways to long-term employment.
To date, 86 residents have benefited from work placements through 34 local employers. Community-based organisations act as delivery partners to broker placements and support participants throughout.
- 43% of people completing a placement go on to secure longer term employment.
- Every partner organisation has succeeded in supporting beneficiaries into skilled sustainable employment in some form, with up to 100% progression rates achieved by some delivery partners.
- Multiple employers have provided mentoring and progression routes including converting placements into permanent roles and funding extended internships.
The programme is centred on cross-sector partnership, creating benefits for all stakeholders. We have learnt that flexibility is essential to achieve inclusive outcomes for all parties.
- For local people, the programme provides a bridge between training and real-world experience, helping residents navigate the benefits system and overcome personal fears about the workplace.
- For businesses, it creates a low-risk, structured route to offering placements to people who they may not have had the confidence or capacity to employ before, thanks to ongoing support from community partners. Many business partners, such as Open Creates and Paragon, have successfully converted placements into permanent roles, thereby securing fresh local talent for their own operations
- For community partners, the programme has expanded existing programmes, integrating placements into training pathways, enabling students to quickly apply their learning in practical real-word settings and building progression routes.
“I was scared and I told myself I couldn’t work in a place like that. Encouragement from Cook for Good helped me so much and believe in myself that I just needed to start.”Programme Participant
