Community Story: ThinkForward

Today we visit Nottingham, for our latest focus on an awardee of a grant from the Community Matters Fund (Future Skills) 2026 from National Grid, Luke Upton chats to Geovani Lapina, Senior Fundraising Officer at ThinkForward about supporting NEET young people, job creation strategy, the opening of workplace doors to all and more.

Luke Upton (LU): Thanks for the time today, could you give us a little introduction into the origins and development of ThinkForward and how you support young people?  

Geovani Lapina (GL): Hi Luke, ThinkForward delivers unique, personalised coaching programmes for young people at a key stage in their lives, enabling them to overcome the challenges they face and make a successful transition into work. Every young person takes part in workplace activities to develop their life goals and readiness for work. We raise the voices of our young people and support employers to provide fair access to opportunities.

ThinkForward was created in 2011, following research into why under-served groups of young people become NEET. The research demonstrated a lack of long-term preventative interventions during the transition from school into work. We saw a need for targeted support so that young people could make positive choices and achieve better life outcomes for themselves. For a decade, our programmes have been refined using evidence of what works to support young people facing multiple challenges in their lives to make successful transitions into the world of work. In 2026, youth unemployment in the UK is at an all-time high, demonstrating the urgent need for our work.

LU: That’s a great introduction, thanks, and what have been behind some of your recent priorities and focus?

GL: The number of NEET young people is increasing, with over one million 16–24-year-olds in the UK out of education, employment or training. The recent Milburn report displays the government’s focus on tackling unemployment and economic inactivity amongst young people. Additionally, many employers are looking to expand their employment bases – with some facing high recruitment costs and aging workforces.

This context has led to us developing our job creation strategy – focusing on creating employment opportunities with our employer partners that are suitable and inclusive for young people on our programmes. We have developed an Extended Recruitment Programme which involves supporting our employer partners to offer job trials to young people instead of traditional application and interview processes, allowing young people to demonstrate their skills and capabilities whilst gaining an understanding of whether a role is the right fit for them.

LU: You’ve just received funding from the Community Matters Fund (Future Skills) 2026 from National Grid and Localgiving. Can you tell us some more about the project, what it will help fund and what it aims to deliver.

GL: The funding will support the delivery of our Work Forward programme, specifically our Extended Recruitment Programme (ERP) to support 8 young people into sustainable employment. We’d like to say a big thank you to National Grid and Localgiving for helping make this possible. The project will focus on those who are NEET or are at risk of becoming NEET, providing a structured pathway to paid work. Delivery will include intensive pre-employment support through Work Forward, including one-to-one coaching, confidence building, and employability skills development. This will be followed by the ERP, where participants complete a supported placement over 3 weeks with our employer partner DHL at their East Midlands Airport office, in lieu of a traditional interview process.

Each placement will include on-the-job training and coaching for young people, alongside training and guidance for employers to embed inclusive recruitment practices. This project meets local needs by addressing youth unemployment and barriers to accessing work. It supports employers to access a wider talent pool while improving employment outcomes, strengthening workforce diversity, and contributing to a more inclusive and resilient local economy.

LU: How important is this kind of grant funding to your organisation?

As an organisation which is wholly reliant on philanthropy, grants from organisations such as the National Grid are what keeps ThinkForward running and able to deliver support for young people who need it the most. This type of funding enables us to replicate our successful programmes in new areas. We have delivered our ERP in London for the last two years and are delighted to be able to bring it to Nottingham for the first time, supporting even more young people. So a big thank you again to National Grid and Localgiving for the support through the Community Matters Fund.

LU: As we always like to ask our community members, more money aside, what would help you most? 

We know that the more exposures to the world of work a young person has, the more likely they are to achieve employment in the future. Aside from money, our employer partners opening up their workplace doors, from offices and warehouses to shops and operations centres, to allow young people to gain an insight into the working environment is hugely beneficial and can change young people’s lives.

Even more crucial than work insight days, are work experience opportunities and ultimately entry-level jobs, so that once young people complete our programmes and are ready for the world of work, there are tangible job opportunities accessible to them. Employers offering these opportunities helps support our work.

LU: And finally, is there anything else you'd like to inform our readers about?

GL: A recent project we have been working on is the ‘Hear Us, Hire Us’ campaign we ran in August 2026. It is a campaign based on interviews with NEET young people on our programmes, regarding what they would like employers to change. Young people expressed wanting employers to see beyond their CVs and allow them opportunities to demonstrate their skills and work ethic. The majority of young people are keen to work and want to dispel the stereotype that they are lazy and aren’t interested in pursuing a career. The campaign sets out recommendations for employers, including valuing volunteering and extracurricular activities as evidence of skills, training hiring managers to challenge bias and stereotypes, and giving young people a chance to build skills and progress whilst in work. You can read more here.

We are also looking to form new relationships with employers in Nottingham who are interested in partnering with us to create opportunities for our young people based in Nottingham. Find more information here.

LU: Brilliant, thanks Geovani, we look forward to following your progress.

For the latest on the Community Matters Fund click here. 

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