VIY awards 8,000th City & Guilds accreditation

We’re delighted to announce our latest milestone – awarding our 8,000th Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditation in trade skills! 

Since becoming an accredited City & Guilds training provider in 2018, we’ve continued our mission to offer young people practical experience, qualifications, and career pathways whilst completing impactful renovation projects for valuable community spaces. See how we’ve done this on over 900 projects across England and Wales so far.

Feedback from VIY’s annual Independent Quality Assessment consistently praises the organization’s high standards in training and assessment, cementing our strong commitment to quality.

This milestone comes at an exciting time, as we expand our programmes to pilot qualifications in retrofit and green skills—a response to the increasing demand, and subsequent skills gap, for sustainable practices in the industry. New qualifications we’ll be offering include:

• City & Guilds Entry Level 3 in Health & Safety and Environmental Awareness
• City & Guilds Level 2 in Retrofit

• NOCN Entry Level 3 and Level 1 in Energy Efficiency & Sustainability
• NOCN Level 2 in Understanding Retrofit

Empowering Young People for a Brighter Future

According to Angharad Beynon, Policy, Stakeholder, and Partnerships Manager for City & Guilds (Nations and Ireland), VIY is uniquely positioned to offer young people their first step toward a career in construction:

“It’s said that the first step on a journey is the most important one. VIY’s programme offers that first step for young people, providing a bridge into apprenticeships. Just as importantly, it offers invaluable support and City & Guilds recognition, which serves as a powerful motivator for young people to continue their journey.”

This was the case for VIY learner, Anthony Sartin, 22, from Cardiff, who recently earned his Entry Level 3 accreditation in Health & Safety through VIY at Gabalfa Youth & Community Centre. This set him on a path toward future success in the trade sector, as he went on to successfully gain a place on a Painting & Decorating Apprenticeship with V&C (SW) Limited in Cardiff.

Voices of Experience: Mentors and Industry Support

Adrian Llewellyn, a VIY Lead Mentor in the West Midlands with over 25 years of trade experience and 17 years in special needs education, sees the transformative impact VIY has on young people:

“I see the true value of VIY’s work every day. We share skills and experience in the trade, guiding learners as they complete meaningful renovations. Many of our learners may not have considered construction as a possible career path, and VIY helps open that door.”

Our work is made possible through strong partnerships with organizations like Dulux, one of our dedicated National Partners. Peter Howard, Sustainability and CSR Lead at AkzoNobel, shared his admiration for the work we do together:

“We’re incredibly proud to support VIY’s community projects and training programs. This collaboration not only builds up young people’s skills and confidence but also plays a role in addressing the construction industry’s skills gap. VIY exemplifies the power of partnerships across sectors to help secure a bright future for our industry.”

Community Impact and Local Government Support

Since January 2022, we’ve worked with Nottingham City Council as part of the UK Community Renewal Fund and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Councillor Ethan Radford, Deputy Leader of Nottingham City Council/Executive Lead for Skills, Growth and Economic Development and Labour Councillor for Bulwell, praised VIY’s contributions to local investment priorities and skill-building:

“VIY’s community programmes are an invaluable asset to Nottingham, contributing to our investment priorities, People and Skills and Communities and Place. By engaging young people who are farthest from the labour market, they’re helping to break down employment barriers and build community resilience. Over 400 local young people have benefited, gaining both volunteer experience and accredited qualifications.”

Looking Forward

This 8,000th accreditation marks an important milestone, but it’s just one step in our journey since we began in 2011 – see our First 10 Years here. Here’s to the next decade of skills training and community development together with a growing range of partners like City & Guilds by our side!

Caroline Brooks joins the VIY Advisory Board

We’re thrilled to announce a new Advisory Board member, Caroline Brooks. With over 20 years of experience in the sports industry across a variety of roles, Caroline has worked across the public, private, and charitable sectors in the UK and internationally in strategic areas including facility planning and improvement, policy development, funding and finance, major sporting events and using data to drive impact.

We first met Caroline in her role as Funding & Facilities Manager at London Sport where she first connected us with Sport England which directly led to the start of our long-term partnership. She also unlocked our partnership with Fusion Lifestyle, one of the largest leisure facility management companies in the UK.

Currently, as Head of Physical Activity for the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry, Caroline works with brands like Nike, adidas, Puma, and ASICS to promote a healthier, more active planet.

Prior to that, Caroline led key projects at The Commonwealth Secretariat for the Sport for Development & Peace Team, supported national governments from across the Commonwealth in developing sports policies for social development, and most recently convened the Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (the legacy of which we’ve supported through our partnership with Sport Birmingham).

So, as we look to further build on our work and credentials in sport, we’re excited to welcome Caroline on board!

VIY launches Impact Report 2023-24

Our VIY Impact Report for 2023–24 showcases a year of growth and impact, strengthened and new partnerships, and fantastic outcomes from our young people and teams.

Read our Impact Report 2023-24

Headlines include:

• Supporting over 1,500 young people towards brighter futures, building confidence, and helping many towards a sustainable career in construction
• Positively impacting local communities across the UK through 89 community projects, helping to reduce regional inequalities and help vital community spaces survive and thrive
• Awarding 1,245 Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations – helping young people take that first step onto the construction career ladder
• Helping 39% of our NEET learners aged 16+ progress within 12 months* into education, further training or employment
• Collaboration is in our DNA – it’s thanks to our dedicated team and more cross-sector partners than ever before sharing the same mission and purpose to deliver wider, deeper, more sustainable impact for young people and local communities

*This figure relates to the progression of all 16+ NEET learners within 12 months of their VIY project, who have taken part in 2022-23 and 2023-24

VIY supports first Construction Skills Shortage Week

Here’s how we’re already acting on a number of recommendations made within the On The Tools Skills Shortage White Paper – and how you could get involved and do #SomethingConstructive together with us to help reduce the shortage.

Working with young people and their current educators

• Taking from zero to ‘the first rung on the ladder’ through practical, accessible and inclusive hands-on skills training experiences, the chance to gain Entry Level City & Guilds accreditations and boost their apprenticeship/work-readiness – in a way that’s not happening in schools and colleges

• Inspiring young people to consider construction as a relevant and rewarding career pathway – specifically more diverse audiences that are currently underrepresented in the sector including women, young people who are neurodiverse, have a disability or from ethnic minority backgrounds

• By seeing first-hand the positive impact of the VIY experience on site, educators, youth workers, support workers, parents and other adult influences are gaining an insight into the industry to reinforce it as a positive pathway for the young learners they support

Get young people involved here

Working with tradespeople 

• Mobilising tradespeople and construction workers as positive role models and inspirational for young people on our projects by sharing their skills and own lived experience of a career in the trade

• Improving their own sense of wellbeing by mentoring young people and making an impact in their community on projects of real social value

Volunteer or become a Mentor here

Working with employers

• Working in partnership with a wide range of cross-sector partners, including many big players from the trade and construction, like Dulux, Toolstation and Travis Perkins, and housebuilders like Keepmoat Homes and Persimmon Homes to make our projects happen through materials donations, volunteer mentors, project funding and progression pathways for young people within their company or with their customers

• Directly connecting construction employers and professional tradespeople on VIY projects with brilliant young people who have demonstrated appetite and aptitude (through VIY) and are looking for a next step opportunity into the industry, just like Ali, now an apprentice with contractor Ian Williams, through our partnership with Dulux

• Increasingly, we’re looking to bring employers/construction firms, tradespeople and young people together to share both valuable new retrofit and green skills, as well maintaining more traditional heritage skills including carpentry, by working on community facility retrofit projects and heritage buildings

Talk to us about working in partnership

Dulux Decorator Centre customers support training of 300 young people

We began our partnership with Dulux Decorator Centre in February 2023, with an in-store campaign for the sale of paint stirrers and tin openers at counters across its 230+ stores directly supporting the City & Guilds accreditations earned by our learners in painting and decorating. We’re delighted to announce this alone has raised an impressive £35,313, which has supported 300 young people achieve their Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditation. This amounts to around 50% of all painting and decorating City & Guilds accreditations achieved by VIY learners over the last year.

Over the last year, the paint merchant has donated a staggering 4000 litres of paint to our projects so far, making a positive impact on over 57,000 lives, alongside colleagues and customers volunteering. Just like Dean, featured below, a Decorator from the West Midlands who volunteered on our project at The Bradby Club in Rugby.

Our partnership has expanded to offer Dulux Connect members additional benefits to volunteer on VIY projects, and offer further training, apprenticeship and employment pathways to VIY learners following their training on VIY projects in their business.

Duncan Lochhead, Commercial Sustainability Manager at Dulux Decorator Centre, said: “Our partnership with VIY has been incredibly rewarding and we are proud to offer our continued support for the year ahead. As well as donating paint to VIY projects, we are also committed to supporting the next generation of skilled tradespeople get their foot on the ladder and begin their journey into the trade. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with VIY, colouring more lives and supporting young learners in the years to come.”

Hear from Ali, a VIY learner who is now on a multi-trade apprenticeship with Dulux Connect member, Ian Williams

Fancy volunteering your skills and experience with VIY?

See more of our partnership with Dulux

VIY to renovate more grassroots cricket clubs & community spaces across Greater Manchester

We’re celebrating the renovation of 20 of 30 grassroots cricket clubs we’re delivering in 10 priority areas across Greater Manchester over three years, as part of the Inspiring Generations cricket strategy for Greater Manchester.

We’re also delighted to confirm we’ll be renovating an additional four cricket clubs funded by the GMCA Community Grants Programme in partnership with Lancashire Cricket Foundation, with the aim to increase participation in Adult Skills, as well as two further community spaces across Wigan and Stockport through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Here’s the VIY headlines so far on the Inspiring Generations programme:

• over 270 young people have taken part in free hands-on volunteering opportunities
• working in collaboration with youth organisations such as Groundwork, the Hatch programme and the Prince’s Trust
• 26% of young volunteers were female – 25% higher than the UK proportion of tradespeople who are female
• over 70% have gained an Entry Level 3 City & Guilds qualifications in skills such as Carpentry, Painting & Decorating and Health & Safety
• a record-breaking VIY project with 69 young volunteers at Hindley Cricket Club
• introducing young volunteers to local cricket facilities they may continue to use and benefit from

Meet Logan, VIY Volunteer at Deane & Derby Cricket Club

See all of the clubs renovated so far

14 volunteers from Dulux Decorator Centre work alongside local young volunteers to redecorate Micklehurst Cricket Club

Sandy Mitchell, Head of Heritage & Community Wellbeing at Lancashire Cricket Foundation said:

“The additional project funding from the GMCA Community Grants Programme is a great example of how we can build on the success of the GMCA Inspiring Generations Strategy to make a positive difference to even more individuals and communities through cricket. To have delivered 20 VIY projects across Greater Manchester is a great achievement and I look forward to seeing another 14 projects delivered with VIY, which will help to provide a long lasting impact on both the young people they support, educate and train and the cricket clubs themselves.”

Talk to us about opportunities for young people you work with in Manchester

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

VIY continues growth thanks to players of the People’s Postcode Lottery and The Considered Ask

We’re delighted to receive a grant of £225,000 from Innovation Trust,  thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

This funding comes off the back of a successful three years of growth for VIY, thanks to our initial grant of £145,000 from the Postcode Innovation Trust, alongside our wide range of cross-sector partners. This approach has allowed us to grow at scale nationally, deepening our recruitment, training and retention of trade mentors across multiple hub regions, and ultimately deliver strong local impact, through the mentoring of local young people, whilst renovating community places and spaces through the power of volunteering.

Over the next three years, this continued investment thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery will allow VIY to build our capacity and capability to:

1. undertake projects involving the retrofit of community buildings for improved energy-efficiency and reduced environmental impact 
2. offer our learners the chance to develop new green construction skills and gain green skills accreditations/qualifications
3. help to develop skills and employment pathways for young people after their VIY experience

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “I’m delighted that money raised by our players is allowing young people all over Britain the opportunity to gain new skills while improving places that are important to their local communities. It’s a win for the young people getting involved who are learning a trade, and a win for spaces in need of essential repairs and improvement.”

We’re also beginning a new national partnership this year with The Considered Ask, a community of funders that exists to reduce social inequality in the UK. Their grant of £80,000 will be helping us to expand our further skills and employment support for VIY’s young learners across two years, ultimately boosting the employability and life chances of more NEET and at risk young people. 

Our progressions support is centered around helping young people into further training and/or employment following their VIY experience, working in closer partnership with our national and employer partners to do so, predominantly in the trade/construction industry.

The Considered Ask said: “We’re excited to be partnering with VIY and we’re delighted to provide funding to help expand the progressions team, so that young people can receive extra support with taking their next steps into training and employment.”

VIY expands work across Redditch and Bromsgrove until 2025

We’re delighted to be renovating twelve community spaces across Redditch and Bromsgrove between 2023-25, thanks to part-funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, in partnership with Redditch & Bromsgrove councils.

The first project in our new programme saw us and 10 local young people repurpose a brand new space for Reach CIC in Redditch in December 2023, a community-focused organisation based in the Winyates Centre, co-funded by our Trade Partners Toolstation and Travis Perkins Plc. Our first project in Bromsgrove saw us redecorate Wythall Hall to help them attract local people to use and hire the space to create a financially sustainable community space.

Upcoming projects include improvements to The Meeting Rooms in Woodrow, Redditch, a vital community centre for the local community, and creating a functional and attractive outdoor space at Shawfields, supporting those at the Bromsgrove District Housing Trust.

More in The Redditch Standard here

Know of young people 16+ who would benefit from the VIY experience here?

Leader of Redditch Borough Council, Cllr Matt Dormer, said: “This initiative goes beyond bricks and mortar; it is about providing a pathway to success for those who need it most. It will bring positive change and unlock opportunities for local young people as well as injecting new life into our community spaces for everyone to enjoy. This scheme is testament to what can be achieved and when communities come together with support from Government initiatives like UKSPF. I hope that the extra funding allows VIY to have continued success, expanding on excellent projects like W.I.S.E.”

Deputy Leader of Bromsgrove District Council and Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Cllr Sue Baxter, said: “VIY have already seen huge success with previous projects in Redditch and I am very pleased that, as a result of the UKSPF funding, they have started to deliver similar projects across Bromsgrove District too. This scheme will not only make our community spaces better but will also help young people learn important skills for work, investing in their future. It’s turning empty places into something useful, creating jobs, and making our area better for everyone, which is excellent news all round.”

Projects will be match-funded by other VIY partners such as Sport England and Toolstation, who are a large local employer in the area through their Redditch Distribution Centre, and supported with materials donated by Trade Partners including Dulux.

Nominate a project (with necessary permission to complete renovation works before March 2025)

Local tradesperson interested in helping out?

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

Ten grassroots cricket clubs renovated in one year

We’ve now renovated ten grassroots cricket clubs across Greater Manchester, thanks to funding from a joint regional strategy to use cricket to improve young people’s lives and create stronger, healthier communities.

Inspiring Generations: A Cricket Strategy for Greater Manchester, a joint 10-Point Plan between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Lancashire Cricket Foundation and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), aims to improve young people’s lives and create stronger, healthier communities, and inspire a generation to take up the game.

In total, we will deliver 30 projects renovating grassroots cricket clubs in 10 priority areas across Greater Manchester over three years. We’ll provide our signature free hands-on volunteering opportunities for local young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), or at risk of disengaging from mainstream education and/or becoming unemployed, mentored by professional tradespeople, with the chance to gain Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations, whilst introducing them to local cricket facilities they may continue to use and benefit from.

Paul Singer, Chair of Wigan Sports Club, the tenth club to benefit from VIY’s renovations in just one year, said:

“Our committee is delighted to be involved in the construction of a new decking area

overlooking the cricket pitch. Not only will this create a new seating area for spectators, it will enhance our function room facilities to allow for greater financial sustainability. The project itself gives an opportunity to young students in the Wigan area to learn new and practical life skills which hopefully will give them a head start in their chosen career path.”

Other clubs to receive the VIY treatment include creating a pitchside decking area at Stalybridge Cricket Club, the first to be completed one year ago in July 2022, converting storage containers into refreshment areas & changing rooms at Springhead Cricket Club in Oldham and bringing out buildings back to life at Blackley cricket Club in North Manchester. More on our cricket club projects here.

Through these first 10 projects, VIY have so far supported over 55 young people from youth organisations such as Groundwork, the Hatch programme and the Prince’s Trust, including young people with special educational needs, with 70% gaining Entry Level 3 City & Guilds qualifications in skills such as Carpentry, Painting & Decorating and Health & Safety.

Caitlin, 17, NEET on becoming a VIY Volunteer at Wigan Sports Club through the Groundwork employability programme, said:

“I had thought I wanted to be a Netball Coach in the future, but now being here, learning carpentry from the mentors and being encouraged to do new things, it’s making me think I could do this instead!” 

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: 

“This is a fantastic initiative that brings so many benefits for young people and communities across Greater Manchester. Our Cricket Strategy is all about using the game to make a positive difference to young people’s lives and unite local communities through the power of the sport, and it’s great that VIY are supporting that mission with this project to renovate grassroots clubs and help young people access skills and training opportunities.”

Sandy Mitchell, Head of Community Growth, Lancashire Cricket Foundation said:

“The project is another great example of how the GMCA Inspiring Generations Strategy is being used to make a positive difference to individuals and communities through cricket. To have now delivered 10 VIY projects in cricket clubs across Greater Manchester is a great achievement and I look forward to seeing the long lasting impact they have on both the young people they support, educate and train and the cricket clubs themselves.”

Matt Mellor, Programme Manager for VIY North, commented:

“It’s inspiring to be able to help so many local young people to learn skills they wouldn’t ordinarily get the chance to try and to take positive steps in their lives, whilst helping clubs shape their own futures through enhanced spaces, to help grow the next generation of cricket.”

Projects are match-funded by Sport England, with materials donated by VIY’s Trade Partners including Travis Perkins and Dulux.

Transforming community spaces in Nottinghamshire

Nottingham City Council

Between January 2023 and March 2025, we’ll be supporting the refurbishment of 14 community spaces and places in Nottingham City.  Through a variety of works, we’ll be helping to improve their functionality and usability, enabling them to engage new audiences, support their existing members with new and/or improved services and increasing the venues’ confidence for their future sustainability.

Head here to see our work on this programme so far, and to see how young people you may know or work with, as well as other Community Volunteers, could get involved.

Nottingham City Council’s Place team volunteering with us at Rufford Avenue Allotment, 2022

Newark & Sherwood District Council

Following our project at Flower Pod with 16 students from Newark Orchard School, supporting students with special educational needs and disabilities, their students have now created a sensory garden at their school site in Balderton, Newark on Trent. The new garden will allow the school to combine learning with the outdoors as well as create a space that the students can enjoy.  We’ve helped them transform this previously under-utilised space, working hard to prepare the surface to install hardcore pathway around the perimeter and in the centre of the garden.  The students also built bespoke seating and child-friendly planters in the garden, ensuring this fully accessible space can be enjoyed by all students.

With the help of 26 young volunteers, 14 students gaining City & Guilds accreditations to help them pursue a future career or interest, they’ve built their own valuable space that they can take pride in. The garden should be finished by early summer 2023 for them to begin using.

We will also be working with Newark & Sherwood District Council from 2024 on further projects too!

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