Impact...

30,000 young people leave school without a qualification; Skill Force helps 97% of its students to gain at least 1 qualification, with many gaining several.

The most recent *statistics (* Misspent Youth – the Costs of Truancy and Exclusion ,  New Philanthropy Capital, June 2007)  show that each of the UK's 200,000 persistent truants costs £44,468 over their lifetime in lost earnings, lower tax receipts, higher crime, increased pressure on health services and benefits. This amounts to £8.8bn, or £800m each year.

A further cost to the national economy emerges through school exclusions with each one of the 10,000 exclusions costing £63,851 every year. Skill Force provides an early intervention programme, and particularly targets those who are in danger of exclusion from, or underachievement in, education, and those at risk of drifting into antisocial or criminal behaviour through peer pressure, or lack of positive role models.

Skill Force has reduced the 24% predicted exclusion rate of our cohorts by their teachers, to an actual rate of 4%;  an achievement with which we are delighted! 

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Skill Force impacts on Individuals, Communities & Society in a number of ways...  

...On attitudes & self-perception - Skill Force helps people to develop. Sometimes it’s as simple as boosting confidence, but it often goes much deeper, raising self-esteem and enabling individuals to challenge their self perception about who they are and what they can achieve. By unlocking potential and inspiring achievement Skill Force is reducing the number of young people becoming NEET ( Not in  Employment, Education or Training) and increasing the number of contributing young citizens.  

...On achievement & personal development - Skill Force not only helps the individual, but works in support of teachers in their efforts to raise academic attainment, whilst striving to improve motivation, self esteem, attendance and behaviour through our own programmes; providing young people with opportunities to develop their communication, problem solving and team working skills.

...On Qualifications & Results - Our approach not only helps individuals, but also the schools that we support, enabling them to improve performance overall in terms of whole school results and School & College Achievement & Attainment Tables (SCAAT/League tables). Skill Force’s own results are unsurpassed by any other alternative education provider and we are unique in being able to impact so positively in schools as part of our students’ weekly timetable.

...On Community & Race Relations - Skill Force impacts on integration, teamwork & leadership, working with young people irrespective of their colour, race or religion. Our programme enables young leaders to emerge, providing a means by which better understanding across cultural, religious and ethnic boundaries can be achieved. 

...On Citizenship & Enterprise - Skill Force supports the Government’s cross-cutting agenda for young people across a wide spectrum of outcomes and activities. Each year we play a small but significant role in working towards a better society by enabling thousands of young people from around the United Kingdom to fulfil their potential, enabling them to become valued young citizens in their local communities. 

...On Every Child’s Well-being - The development of Skill Force in recent years has been underpinned by the emerging principles of the Every Child Matters agenda. This drives our contribution across all five of the Governments top-level outcome objectives for young people:

• Being Healthy
• Staying Safe
• Enjoying and Achieving
• Making a Positive Contribution
• Achieving Economic Well-Being

...On Government Objectives - Skill Force helps to raise attainment, citizenship and enterprise while tackling many of the most high profile challenges facing young people today. By doing so, we directly support the delivery of many of the key Every Child Matters targets, including:

1. Percentage of 16 year-olds achieving the equivalent of 5 A*-C GCSE, including floor target.
2. Take-up of sporting opportunities by 5-16 year-olds.
3. Voluntary and community engagement.
4. Percentage of 18-24 year-olds who are self-employed, manage own business or have thought seriously about starting their own business.
5. Percentage of children in secondary schools participating in election of school / college council members.
6. Half days missed through absence.
7. Permanent & fixed period exclusions.
8. Percentage of 16-18 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEET).
9. Percentage of 10-19 year-olds admitting to bullying another pupil in last 12 months or attacking, threatening or being rude due to colour, race or religion.
10. Fear of crime and anti-social behaviour.

...On the reinvestment of Service personnel's expertise - Although formally divested from the Ministry of Defence in 2004, Skill Force continues to enjoy a strong working relationship with the Ministry of Defence (MOD). We help many former Service personnel, including those who have become disabled or have been medically discharged, to find employment after their military service has been completed and enable them to use their world class training for the benefit of many of the communities from which they originally came themselves; reinvesting their energies for the benefit of the UK Society as a whole.

...On Life Chances & Positive Outcomes - Skill Force provides a life-changing experience for many of our students by offering them as many pathways to success and achievement as possible. We have an enormous impact in hundreds of schools up and down the country. But the need for our services is so widespread that our greatest challenge is meeting the demand for our support. That’s why we need to work closely with our partners and supporters to ensure that this programme continues to provide its unique form of support for the country’s future generation.