A Real Life Chance

Fantastic news this week - the Skill Mill is one of 10 projects that has been awarded substantial Life Chances funding this year from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The £80m Life Chances Fund launched in July 2016 with the objective of tackling entrenched social issues and helping those people in society who face the most significant barriers to leading happy and productive lives. The fund is structured around six key themes: drug and alcohol dependency, children’s services, early years, young people, older people’s services, and healthy lives.

This funding for the Skill Mill will create real 'Life Chances' for young people across the country -

in supporting them into jobs, to achieve qualifications and desist from crime.

Through the 4 year term of the funding, 320 young ex-offenders will be employed, and with mentorship and a nationally recognized qualification, will progress into long-term employment in the wider labour market or directly with Skill Mill partners.

“This announcement marks an important stage in our development. Helping young people who have entered the criminal justice system make a successful transition into mainstream society is in all of our interests. The research done so far has evidenced that 6% of the young people re-offend within one year compared with more than 40% of all young offenders. The Skill Mill offers this possibility through bringing together many committed stakeholders who can co-create these transformative opportunities for not only the young people but their families and communities too”

David Parks, Founder and Director of The Skill Mill