The results of Fight for Peace’s Employability services in 2024 are in, and we’re delighted that they reflect the wonderful outcomes for our young people, and the great dedication of our practitioners!

Sitting alongside Education, Youth Leadership, Support Services and Combat Sports, Employability is one of Five Pillars in Fight for Peace’s methodological approach to supporting young people to reach their full potential,

A comprehensive support package is provided via the Employability Pillar, consisting of personalised support for young people, opportunities to undergo employment focused training, the chance to participate in experiential learning, and experiences aimed at expanding knowledge. 

Over the course of 2024 almost 10% of Fight for Peace attendees received some sort of Employability support. This included 119 intensive one-on-one sessions, focusing on individual development areas such as CV enhancement, interview techniques, and effective job search strategies. Each participant received tailored guidance, including additional support after completing qualification courses.

Three vocational courses were delivered by Fight for Peace during the year – a YMCA Level 3 NVQ in Personal Training, an England Boxing Level 1 course, and a Nail Technician course. Additionally, two cohorts completed Safeguarding and First Aid certification courses, benefiting 55 young people.

Young people had the chance to explore various professional settings and network with industry professionals, broadening their aspirations in a variety of ways. This was composed of seven internal events, such sports shows (muay thai and boxing shows) and immersive experiences, and seven external events, including insight days with Mercedes, Morgan Stanley, Tate & Lyle, and FEC Consortium. 

In addition, Fight for Peace facilitated in-house volunteer and work experience opportunities through internal events, and participation in our media production group Young Creatives, and through opportunities to practice personal training skills in Fighting Fit strength and conditioning sessions.

And four thematic workshops were hosted by Fight for Peace Employability practitioners and  led by external professionals, covering self-employment and invoicing, disability and inclusion in community sport training, personal branding and apprenticeship opportunities at British Airways

Combined, these activities delivered some impressive results, namely:

• 60 young people developed key capabilities and life skills, including confidence, resilience, self-esteem, and mental health awareness;
• 54 young people increased their personal development and career aspirations;
• 38 young people gained a qualification;
• 23 young people secured paid work experience;
• 24 young people secured employment.

Monitoring the Employability results of the year provides an opportunity for us to reflect and apply learnings to future strategic efforts in the area. In 2024 we found that while offering a diverse range of career paths is important, sports and youth work-related courses typically yield better employment outcomes. We also learned that our Employability offer is effective because it caters to young people at different stages of their career journey. This indicates that continuous opportunities and general services must remain available for participants to access support when they are ready, but that this must be balanced with tracking and measuring hard outcomes such as employment, which can be challenging.

We also learned that we need to increase our capacity to provide appropriate support for young people with special educational needs and work with our funding partners to ensure that we have the flexibility to provide tailored SEND support.

Abdullah is one of the young people at Fight for Peace who benefitted from tailored Employability support and personal training courses offered in 2024, and who made tremendous strides in his career as a result. “As soon as I sent in the application for the personal training roles I was qualified for they gave me a job just a week later,” he said.

“The part I’m enjoying the most about my new role is the networking and the people I’ve met…I’ve found a few mentors to help me take it further because it’s mostly about finding clients and networking more than anything. For a long time, my goal has been to eventually move out of the UK, perhaps Qatar or Dubai, and I recently discovered that Virgin gyms have different roles that can move you around so I want to take my personal training from here to Qatar!”

It’s super inspiring to see young people like Abdullah use the platform of Employability support at Fight for Peace to launch their careers, and we are excited to see a whole host of similar stories follow in 2025!