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| Onwards and Upwards Trust | |
|---|---|
| Name | Onwards and Upwards Trust |
| Type | Charity |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Area served | United Kingdom |
| Focus | Youth development, social mobility, skills training |
Onwards and Upwards Trust is a British charitable organization focused on improving outcomes for disadvantaged young people through mentoring, skills training, and employment support. The Trust works with schools, local authorities, employers, and community groups to deliver targeted interventions designed to reduce youth unemployment and increase social mobility. Operating primarily in urban areas, the Trust engages stakeholders across education, business, and civic sectors to scale evidence-based programs.
Founded in 2009 amid policy debates following the 2008 financial crisis, the Trust emerged alongside initiatives led by figures and institutions such as Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Department for Work and Pensions, and Cabinet Office actors seeking to address youth unemployment. Early pilots drew on models associated with Prince's Trust, City Year, Teach First, Barnardo's, and National Citizen Service, and partnered with local delivery partners in boroughs like Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Lambeth, and Manchester. Over the 2010s the Trust expanded during policy cycles influenced by reports from bodies such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Social Mobility Commission, Institute for Fiscal Studies, and think tanks including Resolution Foundation and Institute for Public Policy Research. Major programmatic milestones coincided with funding rounds from grant-makers like Big Lottery Fund, Youth Futures Foundation, Comic Relief, and corporate partners including Barclays, HSBC, and PwC.
The Trust's mission emphasizes enabling young people from marginalized backgrounds to achieve sustained employment and civic participation, aligning with frameworks promoted by United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and domestic targets articulated by the Department for Education. Objectives include reducing long-term youth unemployment as tracked by metrics from Office for National Statistics, increasing attainment in qualifications recognized by City and Guilds, and improving employability pathways linked to industries represented by Confederation of British Industry and Federation of Small Businesses. Strategic documents reference national policy instruments such as the Children Act 1989, Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, and initiatives modeled on European Social Fund priorities.
Governance is overseen by a board comprising trustees with backgrounds in nonprofit management, corporate social responsibility, and public service, reflecting profiles similar to leaders from Nesta, Clore Social Leadership Programme, RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), and former officials from Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. Senior leadership typically includes executives experienced at organizations such as Save the Children, Oxfam, British Council, KPMG, and McKinsey & Company. The board reports to regulatory bodies including the Charity Commission for England and Wales and adheres to governance codes endorsed by NCVO and ACEVO.
Programs combine mentoring, vocational training, and employer engagement, drawing methodological influences from Big Brothers Big Sisters, Mentoring and Befriending Foundation, YouthBuild, and National Apprenticeship Service. Services include short-term employability workshops, accredited courses through City and Guilds and BTEC, sector-specific traineeships in partnership with employers like Sainsbury's, Tesco, Rolls-Royce, and NHS, and pastoral support modeled after interventions by SAMH and Mind. Digital inclusion efforts reference collaborations with technology partners such as Google, Microsoft, and BT Group to deliver coding and digital skills curricula inspired by Code Club and Raspberry Pi Foundation.
The Trust's funding model combines grants from foundations like Big Lottery Fund, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, corporate sponsorship from firms such as Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group, and contracts with local authorities including Greater London Authority and combined authorities like Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Income streams have included social investment and impact bonds modeled on Social Impact Bond pilots, drawn from investors familiar with Big Society Capital and philanthropic intermediaries including CAF (Charities Aid Foundation). Financial oversight aligns with reporting norms of the Charity Commission for England and Wales and audit practices from firms such as Grant Thornton and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Impact measurement employs quantitative indicators referenced in evaluations by organizations like What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth, Education Endowment Foundation, and researchers at University College London, London School of Economics, and University of Oxford. Outcomes reported include job placements, qualifications achieved, and reductions in NEET rates measured against Office for National Statistics cohorts and longitudinal studies similar to Understanding Society and Longitudinal Studies Centre UK. Independent evaluators from institutes such as RAND Corporation and Ipsos MORI have been commissioned to test program efficacy and cost-effectiveness against comparator interventions like Connexions and European Social Fund projects.
The Trust collaborates with schools in consortia alongside Ofsted-registered institutions, local authorities such as Camden Council and Birmingham City Council, employers represented by Confederation of British Industry, and voluntary organizations like National Youth Agency and Youth Employment UK. Advocacy efforts engage parliamentary stakeholders including members of House of Commons committees, policy units from No. 10 Downing Street, and national campaigns coordinated with actors such as End Child Poverty Coalition and Child Poverty Action Group. International learning exchanges have connected the Trust to programs run by UNESCO, ILO, and municipal initiatives in cities including New York City, Paris, and Berlin.
Category:Charities based in London