Prospects is Part of Shaw Trust
At Shaw Trust we believe everyone has the right to live a decent and dignified life and an opportunity for rewarding work. We are a social purpose organisation challenging inequality and breaking down barriers to enable social mobility.
Having grown from humble beginnings in 1982 in the village of Shaw in Wiltshire, finding jobs for disabled people, today we are a complex and diverse charity committed to employment as the core pathway to a better life. For us being part of the solution is about creating the conditions for this to happen, advocating and delivering services that make a real difference. Working in partnership not competition, we are part of an eco-system of purpose-led organisations, striving for a fairer, more equal society centred on opportunity for all. Shaw Trust was founded on these principles more than 30 years ago, and for our 2,500 employees and 1,000 volunteers across the UK, they remain true.
We have grown through a combination of organic growth, mergers and acquisitions to be the UK’s largest Not-for-Profit (NFP) social enterprise in the employment sector. We put people at the centre, knowing the right support at the right time can make a huge difference to an individual’s life. We empower people from childhood to career through our services embracing employability, education, learning and skills, children’s services and health and wellbeing support.
Our co-created services include large scale employability programmes, specialist services for communities, residential care for children, targeted support for young people, on-the-job learning and training and individual guidance and support. Our work is commissioned by government departments, regional and local authorities, the NHS and employers and is delivered through a people centred approach.
We believe in sharing our expertise to create sustainable community legacies and work with more than 200 like-minded organisations growing networks of talent, experience and potential.
At Shaw Trust, we pride ourselves on our charitable heart with a business brain. Our approach is to maximise the social value for the individuals and communities we support.
Our Vision
A future where good, meaningful, rewarding, purposeful and dignified employment is accessible to all in society irrespective of life circumstances.
Our Mission
To focus our experience, skills, advocacy and passion to deliver the highest quality services for the people we support and to improve opportunities and access to work now and for the long term.
Our Commitment
To co-create and deliver high quality employability programmes and complementary services for people with complex needs, challenging life circumstances or other barriers that impact on access to work.
Employment and Skills
We give people the chance to develop their potential by giving them the advice and guidance and the skills to get into meaningful employment and to progress in the work place.
Care and Support
We support vulnerable children, young people and adults, keeping them safe, reducing risk and improving their life chances.
Education and Learning
We work with learners of all ages, leaders and teachers to transform the quality and impact of education in early years, schools and in prisons.
Our services include:
- For those in the earliest stages of education we provide support for local authorities and run preschools
- Prospects engages with more than 7,000 education establishments across the country providing consultancy, improvement services, awards, resources and outdoor education
- For young people, Prospects works on behalf of local authorities providing targeted support helping young people who are not in education, employment or training, vulnerable and/or have learning difficulties and disabilities, care leavers and looked after children.
- For adults, we provide the National Careers Service, offering advice on learning and work as prime provider in London, South West and West Midlands. In addition Prospects is a partner in Careers Yorkshire and the Humber. Prospects is also a prime contractor for the Work Programme which helps longer-term unemployed people back to work, in the South West and leading subcontractor in London and Bristol
- Innovative approaches to rehabilitation of adults and young offenders in the community, and in custody, through the National Careers Service, in all prisons in London, South West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber. Prospects provides the education for young people in Feltham Young Offenders Institution
- Entrepreneurship for young people in Wales
- Events including regional careers and skills events across the UK such as Skills London, City Walks and award ceremonies.
The Prospects Group includes Gabbitas Education, Optimus Education, Homes2Inspire and CfA. Prospects is also the partner in 3BM, an employee-owned mutual providing support services to the education sector.