Prince's Trust: We're here to help young people who feel uncertain about their future

Sadly, it’s still the case that social status influences educational attainment. Just 33% of young people eligible for free school meals leave school with five A*-C grade GCSEs, compared with 61% of young people who aren’t eligible.

In a recent report, supported by HSBC, The Prince’s Trust found that 44% of young people from poorer backgrounds say they didn’t know anyone who could help them find a job, compared to 26% of their more advantaged peers. This year, The Trust will work with secondary schools across Northern Ireland to help re-engage young people with education and raise their aspirations through ‘Achieve’, a newly developed education programme.

It’s important for those whose grades haven’t gone the way they hoped, to know that all is not lost as there are many other options and alternative routes to future employment.

Too many young people get left behind simply because of where they’ve started in life. We have to do everything we can to bridge the gap.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of The Prince’s Trust. Over the past 40 years we have over 825,000 young lives nationally, and continue to support over 6000 young people in Northern Ireland every year.

If The Prince’s Trust can help you or someone you know to take the next step, please contact our Freephone 0800 842 842 or email [email protected]

Mark Dougan, NI Director of The Prince’s Trust