The Skills Spot C.I.C.

The Skills Spot C.I.C. provides community-based support for young people aged 16–30 through our open-access youth space, one-to-one mentoring, and a wide range of events and workshops. Our work is rooted in connection, consistency, and wellbeing. This year, we focused not only on expanding our reach but deepening the quality of support young people receive. In 2024–25, we delivered 1,828 total engagements with young people, reflecting the significant growth of our services and visibility within the community. Our open-access space continued to be a core anchor, supporting young people to study, job-search, access careers advice, and connect socially in a safe, welcoming environment. We also strengthened our relationship with local Jobcentres, continuing the offer for young Universal Credit claimants to attend appointments in our space rather than at the Jobcentre, helping them feel more at ease and improving engagement. Our one-to-one mentoring remained central to our impact. We supported 38 young people through personalised mentoring, delivering 239 hours of tailored support, with 58% progressing into education, employment or training (EET). This reflects not just outcomes, but deeper engagement per young person compared to last year. Workshops and events grew significantly, with 312 attendances across the year (up from 114 the year before) as a result of stronger employer partnerships and two major Careers Fairs, each attracting more than 90 young people. Our work benefited the community by: Enabling vulnerable young people to access support in an environment that feels safe, familiar, and non-judgmental. Improving young people’s confidence, resilience, and clarity about their next steps, with 4 in 5 reporting increased confidence after engaging with us. Strengthening progression pathways into work and education. Creating opportunities for community connection through partnerships with 26 organisations, including employers, local authorities, and fellow youth organisations. Key achievements include: Significant growth in reach – 296 individual young people attended events/workshops (up from 92), and 118 used our open-access space (up from 108). Meaningful partnerships, including deeper collaboration with DWP, Stockwell Partnership, and FourthWall. Embedding wellbeing across our work, with dedicated wellbeing mentoring and bi-monthly wellbeing workshops that created safe spaces for reflection, confidence building, and emotional support. A more consistent evening offer, supported by fitness and shared dinner sessions which built community and returning weekly participants.