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Giving you the tools needed to go from Care to Career.
Your careers coach

Bespoke 1-2-1 support

Our Careers Specialists provide tailored, trauma-informed guidance to help you overcome barriers and achieve your aspirations. They offer both practical and emotional support while coordinating with Local Authorities, housing, health, and education partners to build a strong support network.

Together you will explore different career options, work on your CV and interview skills, and create a realistic route into employment or education.

Mutual trust, patience and understanding are the pillars of what we do here at Drive Forward. We understand the challenges you face during the difficult period going from life in care into employment and independence.

When you join Drive Forward, you will get a Careers Specialist who is here to guide you and provide you with the support, knowledge and networks you need to succeed. Together you will explore different career options, work on your CV and interview skills, and create a realistic route into employment or education. The important thing is, that everything we do is tailored to your specific goals and aspirations.

Through our trauma-informed counselling service, young people access emotional and mental health support, helping them build resilience, reduce anxiety, and improve self-esteem – ensuring they’re ready to engage with work, education, or training.

Once you’ve landed a new job, work placement, or internship, you’ll have the option of pairing with a professional mentor. We pair you based on industry and personality, to ensure the relationship works for both of you.

Your mentor will:

  • Provide one-to-one support on how to best utilise a new opportunity.
  • Give you support as you transition into a new workplace environment.
  • Help you navigate difficult situations that can arise in the workplace.
  • Ensure you excel professionally, and potentially open up their professional networks to you.

Speak to your Careers Specialist or email us to find out more.

Getting a job isn’t just about polishing up your CV. It’s also about building confidence through enriching experiences. That’s why we run a number of regular workshops and events.

Get first-hand interview advice from HR and recruitment professionals in this interactive and highly effective session.

For many people, young and old, the interview is the most daunting stage of the application process. But as the saying goes, practice makes perfect! So, in this session you get the chance to practice your interview skills in a series of short mock interviews followed by instant quality feedback. Our volunteers all have professional experience in interviewing candidates for a diverse range of industries and are, therefore, best placed to provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to impress your future employer.

For more information please contact your careers specialist or email the Community Partnerships manager nina@driveforwardfoundation.org

Mentoring

Learn, Grow, and Succeed with the Right Mentor

Our mentoring programme connects you with experienced, supportive mentors who are committed to helping you build skills, confidence, and direction. Whether you’re exploring your next steps, developing professionally, or overcoming barriers, our mentors offer practical guidance, encouragement, and real-world insight to help you move forward and achieve your goals.

Find out more

FORE gives you a safe space to talk about race, how it impacts your daily life, and how we can ensure that we are progressing racial equality across our organisation, our partners, our networks, and beyond.

Over 70% of Drive Forward young people are Black, Asian or from minority ethnic backgrounds, so we understand the need for representation and a clear voice for raising concerns as well as empowering you and others we work with

We aim to provide a place of healing when bringing up what can often be painful and emotive. FORE is also designed to provide a clear and direct link from you, as young people, to management and our partner organisations. If there is a problem in the workplace, in college or University or even at Drive Forward itself, those issues should and can be shared with management and our CEO to ensure that they are not overlooked.

Essential to FORE is to encourage continued learning among staff, young people, partners and volunteers. We are eager to hear your ideas on how we can improve the ways that we support young people from BAME backgrounds in the workplace.

Join our book club and receive a copy of our current book, give reading suggestions and join the discussion.

Books:

  • Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
  • Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené
  • Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala
  • Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Joy Angela Degruy
  • Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by Bell Hooks
  • Rock My Soul: Black People and Self-Esteem by Bell Hooks
  • Loud Black Girls by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinene
  • Killing Rage: End Racism by Bell Hooks
  • Orientalism by Edward Said

Podcasts:

Articles:

Justin has over 10 years’ experience working with marginalised young people in London: he moved from starting a successful youth football team to delivering anti-knife crime workshops around the country, and has been part of a team that helped mediate peace between rival gangs in West London.

He’s passionate about racial equality, having been been on the receiving end of racism and discrimination himself. He is eager to create change for the young people of colour at Drive Forward and to do so, he understands the need to involve young people at Drive Forward in this continuous conversation. He believes the core issues of racism remain the same but the methods of discrimination evolve and change from generation to generation.

If you would like to raise a concern about how you have been treated because of your ethnicity at Drive Forward or in the workplace, please get in touch.

Getting a job isn’t just about polishing up your CV. It’s also about building confidence through enriching experiences; that’s why we run a number of regular workshops and events.

One such event is our Interview Prep & Pizza experience, where you can get first-hand interview advice from HR and recruitment professionals.

For many people, the interview is the most daunting stage of the application process. So, in this session, you get the chance to practice your interview skills in a series of short mock interviews with instant feedback. Our volunteers all have professional experience in interviewing candidates for a diverse range of industries and are, therefore, best placed to provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to impress your future employer.

Get in touch with your Careers Specialist or email us for more info.

Counselling

Your emotional wellbeing is important

Through our trauma-informed counselling service, young people access emotional and mental health support, helping them build resilience, reduce anxiety, and improve self-esteem—ensuring they’re ready to engage with work, education, or training.

Find out more
Get involved

Break the cycle. Join the movement.

If you meet the criteria below and you’d like to get involved, fill out the form opposite and join the movement.

  • I’m care-experienced
  • I’m between 16-26 years old
  • I have the right to work in the UK
  • I want to move forward with my career

Drive Forward Foundation Young Person Sign Up form

Tell us a bit about yourself. Let us know what support you’re looking for. Maybe you already know what career you’d like to get into, or maybe you need some inspiration. Wherever you’re at, we’re here to help you drive forward.
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