Employability Support

Practical, confidence-building support for people moving towards work

At Business Unboxed CIC, we support people to build the skills, confidence and experience they need to move closer to work, training or self-employment.

Our employability support is practical, creative and rooted in real-world experience. We know that many people have already attended traditional employability courses, so our approach is different. We use enterprise, mentoring and relationship-based support to help participants explore their strengths, build confidence and take meaningful next steps.

Employability Through Enterprise

Our Employability Through Enterprise programme uses the process of creating a start-up business as a way to develop core employability skills.

Participants do not need to want to become self-employed. The business idea becomes a practical learning tool, helping them explore what it takes to plan, communicate, make decisions, solve problems and present ideas.

Through the programme, participants develop skills including:

• Confidence and self-belief
• Communication and teamwork
• Problem solving and decision making
• Digital skills
• Planning and organisation
• Financial awareness
• Creativity and enterprise
• Understanding the world of work

Participants work through the key stages of launching a business idea, including identifying a problem, understanding customers, planning a product or service, thinking about money, developing branding and marketing, and presenting their ideas.

Alongside this, we build in links with employers and local partners to support progression. This may include guest speakers, employer challenges, workplace insight, interview practice, mentoring, volunteering opportunities or routes into further training and employment.

NEET-Focused Employability Support

We also offer a version of our Employability Through Enterprise programme designed specifically for young people who are not in education, employment or training.

This version is particularly suitable for young people who may be facing barriers such as low confidence, anxiety, neurodiversity, limited work experience, disrupted education, caring responsibilities or uncertainty about their next steps.

The programme creates a supportive space where young people can:

• Explore their interests, strengths and aspirations
• Build confidence through practical activities
• Develop employability skills without feeling like they are back in a classroom
• Learn how work, business and self-employment really operate
• Meet employers and understand different routes into work
• Create a progression plan that feels realistic and personal to them

Our approach is relationship-led, flexible and designed to meet participants where they are. We focus on building trust, removing pressure and helping each person recognise what they already have to offer.

Early Employment Support

Informally known as 'Work Mums', our Early Employment Support programme provides practical, friendly and consistent support for young people as they start work.

The idea is simple: we offer the kind of guidance, encouragement and reassurance that a supportive parent or guardian might provide.

This might include helping someone get ready for their first day, talking through what to wear, how to plan their journey, what to expect, how to ask questions, what to do if they feel anxious, or how to handle small workplace worries before they become bigger issues.

This support package is designed for young people who may not have this kind of support available at home or who need an extra person in their corner as they take their first steps into employment.

The programme helps young people:

• Prepare for starting work
• Attend work consistently
• Build confidence in the workplace
• Understand expectations and routines
• Ask questions without feeling embarrassed
• Navigate early challenges
• Make a positive start in their new role

This support can be offered before employment begins and continue during the early stages of work.

Who We Support

Our employability offer is suitable for:

• Young people who are NEET
• People with low confidence or limited work experience
• People facing barriers to employment
• People interested in enterprise or self-employment
• Community organisations supporting people into work
• Housing associations, local authorities, funders and partners looking for practical employability provision

Work With Us

We work with partners to design and deliver programmes that meet the needs of their communities.

Our support can be delivered as a short programme, an intensive course, a longer employability pathway or as wrap-around mentoring alongside an existing employment offer.

To find out more about our employability support, please get in touch.