Youth Into Opportunity · Birmingham
Big potential.
Let’s open doors.
Discover your strengths. Meet people who can open doors. Little Lights CIC and Youth Talent Connect CIC are developing Youth Into Opportunity to bring engaging activities, practical career support and direct connections with employers into one welcoming experience.
Engagement events · Skills discovery · Direct employer connections
Find your spark. Discover your strengths.
For young people outside education, employment or training, or at risk of becoming disconnected from them, entering the world of work can feel overwhelming. Low confidence, limited contacts and unanswered applications can make it difficult to know where to begin.
Youth Into Opportunity starts with a choice of welcoming engagement activities. Through gaming, introductory AI workshops and creative or practical team challenges, young people can explore interests and recognise skills such as communication, problem-solving, collaboration and digital confidence.
We then aim to bring young people together with participating employers and mentors, with guidance to help them prepare for suitable opportunities. A more personal introduction can make the next step feel clearer and less intimidating.
Try something you enjoy. Discover what you can do. Meet someone who can help you take it further.
Two organisations. One shared goal.
Little Lights CIC and Youth Talent Connect CIC combine community outreach, engaging activities and employability guidance. Together, we want to help young people build confidence and move towards fair, legitimate employment, training and apprenticeships.
- Little Lights brings the community.
Participant outreach, recruitment, project planning and coordination, promotion and marketing, volunteer coordination, participant welfare and follow-up. - Youth Talent Connect brings employability expertise.
The proposed delivery role includes employer engagement, career guidance, CV building and tailoring, interview preparation, and connections with mentoring, apprenticeships, training and employment opportunities. - Businesses can help open doors.
We aim to bring several participating employers into our events so young people can meet them directly, ask questions and explore suitable jobs, apprenticeships and mentoring. Opportunities and employer involvement will be agreed for each event.
More ways to engage. More doors to open.
We are developing a choice of activities, linked to practical guidance and employer connections. Event formats will reflect young people’s interests and the partners and resources available.
- Gaming and team challenges
A fun way to practise teamwork, communication, decision-making and problem-solving, with guided reflection on how these skills relate to work. - AI and digital skills workshops
Introductory activities to explore useful digital tools, responsible AI use and skills that can support learning, creativity and preparation for work. - Creative and practical challenges
Group projects, design activities and hands-on tasks to explore strengths, build confidence and try unfamiliar roles. - Meet employers and mentors directly
Welcoming conversations with participating companies about their work, available pathways and the skills they value. Where agreed, events can include opportunities to discuss vacancies or take part in interviews. - Get ready for your next step
Help to build and tailor a CV, recognise transferable skills, practise interviews and understand application processes, followed by guidance towards suitable opportunities.
The initial Connections Through Gaming proposal is one possible pilot: 25 young people aged 16–25 over four weeks. Other formats, dates and opportunities will be confirmed as resources and partner roles are agreed.
The interest is already there.
Little Lights recruited 50 young people aged 16–25 for a recent computer and mobile device repair training opportunity with Youth Talent Connect CIC and ReCognition Circular.
This experience gives us a foundation in reaching young people with practical opportunities. Youth Into Opportunity builds on that connection by offering different ways to engage and linking skills discovery with direct conversations about future pathways.
The figure describes recruitment for that training opportunity; attendance, completion and progression are separate measures.
We bring the people. You can help make it happen.
Little Lights contributes its existing community outreach, project planning, marketing and volunteer coordination. We are seeking funding and contributions in kind to make engagement events, career support and follow-up possible.
- A welcoming, accessible venue
Space for small-group activities, suitable seating, reliable internet and session set-up. - Gaming equipment and activity materials
Suitable consoles, controllers, screens, laptops, tablets, AI and digital learning tools, or materials for creative challenges. Equipment may be donated or lent by agreement. - Facilitators and participant support
People with youth engagement, digital, AI, mentoring and employability experience, alongside safeguarding arrangements, insurance and accessibility provision. - Help young people take part
Travel support and refreshments to reduce practical barriers to attending. - Connections beyond the sessions
Companies offering suitable jobs or apprenticeships, mentors and training providers willing to meet young people and explain how to access their opportunities. - Follow-up and evaluation resources
Time and tools to gather feedback, track participation and document next-step conversations and referrals.
Please contact us before offering equipment so we can agree suitability and arrangements.
More than a session. A step towards tomorrow.
We want young people to feel less afraid of entering the world of work, recognise what they can offer and leave with clearer next steps. Direct introductions and tailored guidance aim to reduce the uncertainty of sending applications without knowing who is receiving them or what employers need.
- Participation: recruitment, attendance and continued engagement across the activities delivered.
- Confidence and connection: young people’s feedback on belonging, skills discovery, teamwork and readiness for interviews.
- Progression: employer and mentor conversations, CV and interview support, and referrals or applications for suitable opportunities. Where follow-up allows, we can also record interviews, training starts or job outcomes.
What makes this approach different?
We bring enjoyable skills discovery, direct employer contact and personalised preparation together. Young people can show their strengths through activities, hear what employers are looking for and prepare a relevant CV or interview with support. Little Lights’ community connections and Youth Talent Connect’s employability expertise help turn an engaging event into a practical next step.
How can a donor or business get involved?
Help fund delivery, offer a venue or equipment, lead an activity, mentor a young person or introduce jobs, apprenticeships and training pathways. Employers can help by meeting participants and explaining their recruitment process. We can agree your contribution, the event scope and progress updates before a partnership begins.
How will progress be shared?
We plan to gather participant feedback and share a short report on engagement, confidence and next-step support for funded activities. This will help partners understand what was delivered and what we learned. Employers retain their recruitment requirements; introductions do not guarantee interviews, placements or jobs, and applications may still be needed.
Be the reason a new door opens.
Everyone is welcome to support Little Lights. Give an amount that feels right for you, offer useful resources or bring your organisation’s skills and connections. Your support can help create events where young people discover their strengths, meet employers and prepare for their next step with someone beside them.
To discuss support specifically for Youth Into Opportunity, sponsorship or contributions in kind, email info@littlelightscic.co.uk.
For a donation intended specifically for this project, please contact us to agree the arrangement before donating.
