Many education charities operate outside schools, using methods like training, mentoring, and work experience to help people overcome employment challenges. Their efforts can take on increased significance among young people who are neither enrolled in education nor employed or undergoing formal training. In the UK, the Office for National Statistics reported that from January to March 2026, the number of people aged 16 to 24 who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) exceeded 1 million for the first time since 2013. This was 13.5% of the total population within that age range. The government said the NEET rate has increased overall since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of June 2026, 40% of NEETs are unemployed (still looking for work), while 60% are economically inactive. This means the government must increase welfare spending while facing reduced income and tax revenues. Moreover, high numbers of NEETs risk fragmenting the country’s social cohesion and creating a generational divide. Social isolation can cause psychological ramifications for NEETs and can lead to riskier behaviours.
Based in Canterbury, Warnborough College found that the neighbouring county of Thanet is home to 5 of the most economically deprived wards in Kent and currently has one of the highest NEET figures in the county. It set up the Warnborough Foundation, a separate charitable incorporated organisation (number 1192341), in November 2020 to tackle this problem. Its incorporated objects are specifically to advance education and training for people with physical and mental disabilities and those experiencing economic disadvantage in East Kent. The charity’s broader mission is to use education, vocational training, and employment support to build confidence, practical skills, and self-sufficiency among disadvantaged people and communities.
A programme created by the Warnborough Foundation to respond to the NEET crisis is COMPASS, which is designed around individual skills, interests, confidence, and career planning. COMPASS and its smaller counterpart, AAY (All About You), aim to shift mindsets, build confidence, and show participants progression possibilities, whether to volunteer, pursue further education, or get a job. Participants work through learning activities at their own pace and are encouraged to gain experience through volunteering and work placements. The programme combines coaching and mentoring, with practical tasks in employer workplaces. Participants can work on team projects, present business improvement ideas, and receive employer feedback. Participants develop a career and skills portfolio, a work progression plan and an updated CV. The programme therefore uses several forms of learning rather than relying on classroom instruction alone.
The Foundation’s approach focuses on individualized learning and support. Activities wrap around each participant’s worldview, experience and ability. Participants are encouraged to discuss, debate and challenge ideas not just about themselves and their role within their community, but also about their skills. Well-known local industry figures volunteer for talks, mock interviews and advice. This approach places practical experience alongside learning. It also reflects a wider model used by education charities, where training is linked to mentoring, employer contact, volunteering, and personal planning, rather than treated as an isolated, formal classroom activity.
A related initiative is HELM, short for Honing Expertise through Learning and Mentoring. The Foundation describes HELM as a programme intended to help participants become economically active and develop greater resilience through entrepreneurship. HELM puts participants through a series of learning activities to build business aptitude and entrepreneurial skills, such as business planning, finance, marketing, and strategy. Participants who show promise can access an incubation hub that allows them to workshop their business ideas with the help of a mentor. Participants are encouraged to share their experience later by becoming mentors or coaches themselves. The model therefore links personal development with income generation, community cohesion and market dynamism.
The Foundation’s activities are enabled solely by grants and funding from other charitable organisations. To date, the Warnborough Foundation has received grants from organisations such as the Dulverton Trust (2021), the Kent Community Foundation (2021-2023), KFC (2024) and laptops for participants from Computers4Charity.
According to the Foundation’s annual report, the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) funded initiatives focused on local economic growth, skills, innovation, and development.
The Foundation engages with the wider community through the annual Kent Arts Conference, which it currently organizes and runs. The conference began in 2013 as the Warnborough College Conference on the Arts, became the Canterbury Arts Conference in 2017, and adopted the name Kent Arts Conference in 2022. The conference programme combines academic presentations, workshops, performances, and discussions, while its community activities have included opportunities for local schoolchildren to create and display artwork in line with the annual theme. Through its annual schools art competition, the Foundation encourages participation from children with special needs. This work differs from the Foundation’s employment-related programmes, but it reflects another part of the Foundation’s stated community role. Arts activities can provide a setting for participation, public engagement, and contact between educational institutions and local communities.
While many types of charities operate worldwide, The Warnborough Foundation shows how education-led charitable initiatives can transform communities. When participants receive appropriate coaching and mentoring linked to work experience and community activities, it can build confidence, strengthen practical skills, and clarify pathways to further education or employment.
