Drive Forward Foundation provides specialist support to care-experienced young people between the ages of 13-26, enabling them to take control of their lives and transition into a meaningful career and independence.

A mix of tailored 1-2-1 support, intensive employability skills and personal development training equips young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to succeed in the world of work.

Drive  Forward’s robust network of employers across the city further enables individuals to take advantage of exclusive work and training opportunities.

To better support care-experienced people navigate diverse work environments, Drive Forward’s in-work mentoring scheme provides them with practical guidance and support from experienced professionals.

Drive Forward Foundation Case Studies

Akira

Going into care at the age of nine, Akira has always been eager to succeed and build a better life for herself. Considering herself one of the lucky ones, she came to truly appreciate the supportive environment her foster family provided for her and she cared especially for her foster mum. She achieved a Level 3 qualification in fashion and was accepted on a Master’s degree course at the London College of Fashion. But life hasn’t been easy for Akira, and before she turned 21, she had to endure the loss of both her birth mother and her foster mother.

All her doubts and fears undermined her confidence and she dropped out of university. At the same time, she also had to prepare to move out of her foster family’s home. Immersing herself into advocacy work and blogging, Akira never gave up hope.

When Akira first joined Drive Forward, she had had experienced many rejections from employers and was sceptical about whether this time it would be different. Her Employment Consultant Heaven supported her all the way through and Akira made a fantastic impression and ended up completing a two-week internship before being offered a fulltime position with our corporate partners at Module Media.

Akira says “Today I’m a Junior Design Manager. I oversee the clients and all the work that comes into the office, distribute it and make sure that everyone is on task. I also have a say in how stuff is designed, how stuff is developed, and really look at the progression of the company and building client and work relationships. I really enjoy it because it’s a really comfortable environment.”