Talent is in abundance. If you know where to find it.
GoodWork is a non-profit. We support high-potential young people who face systemic barriers to access the training and opportunities they need to transition successfully into the workforce. We deliver pioneering programmes that connect employers with talent, engage teams to deliver social impact and empower the next generation.
Our Mission
We create meaningful, equitable employment opportunities for young people from marginalised communities, while enabling employers to make the systems and culture change needed for underrepresented talent to thrive.
Our Vision
A fundamental shift in how employers think about and deliver early careers, where hiring for potential is the norm and young people are able to navigate their careers with confidence, regardless of their background.
In the UK, employment opportunities are unevenly distributed.
It’s well known that highly paid and prestigious professions are dominated by those who were born into privilege and attended elite institutions. Meanwhile, those who grow up in poverty remain less likely to attend or graduate from university, or achieve social mobility in any form.
The situation is complex, with job market forces, institutional bias and a lack of equitable opportunities all playing a role. The erosion of entry-level positions is increasingly common, with employers routinely demanding evidence of experience for roles that are supposedly for the inexperienced. Add to this the expectation of a stellar academic record and a university degree and it should come as no surprise that social mobility in the UK is the worst it’s been for over fifty years.
At GoodWork, it is this that drives us. We know that there are many young people across the UK who have much to offer, but are screened out of opportunities because they don’t have the traditional markers of potential that employers look for.
In a market where almost 80% of employers believe graduates don’t have the skills they need to be work-ready, the exclusion of talent based on academic indicators looks increasingly questionable. And when diversity remains a key challenge for employers, efforts to include candidates who don’t fit the typical profile are an opportunity to redress the balance.
As is often the case when focusing on social mobility, we’ve found that the candidates we support at GoodWork are not only from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, but often experience multiple barriers to work. Looking at our approach through an intersectional lens allows us to support young people more effectively, ensuring that we take each individual’s unique experiences into account and empower them to be successful in employment.
