How can businesses support care leavers into work?

How can businesses support care leavers into work?

By Jo Faragher on 17 February 2026

Late last year, engineering company Amey ran its second programme supporting care leavers. The STRIVE programme, a week-long programme that gives care leavers insights into careers in transport infrastructure and the world of work, supported five young people who had been referred to the company by a local authority. And while participants on the programme, as with previous cohorts, benefitted hugely, the impact has been more far-reaching.

“Our workforce has responded really well as we have a culture of social value anyway,” says Adam Webster, social value manager at Amey. “People opened up, showed pride in their work and how they got to that position. Some were care experienced themselves and shared their experience, so our participants were able to see someone who’d been on that journey.”

According to the Department for Education, in 2023/24 there were 50,670 care leavers in England between the age of 17 to 21, and 65% of this group were male. In October 2018, the government launched the Care Leaver Covenant, which allows public, private and voluntary sector organisations to pledge support to help care leavers into employment. This could be through offering work experience, targeted apprenticeships or free or discounted goods and services. Amey is a signatory to the covenant, which Webster says is an important element of the company’s commitment to social value.

Challenging start

Care leavers face numerous challenges in entering the world of work. Many have moved around different care or foster homes and been split up from siblings, they may have faced challenging circumstances that led to them moving into care in the first place, and they may not have had access to a stable parental figure that could discuss work or career routes with them. Research conducted by the Care Leaver Covenant in 2023 found that these challenges can work in care leavers’ favour when it comes to what they can offer, however. It found that 80% of care leavers feel they are more self-reliant because of their experiences, and 79% feel they are more resilient than most people because of their time in the care system.

Something care leavers need most is financial stability, so support with employability skills can make all the difference. Research from the charity Barnado’s found that 57% of care leavers said that managing money was difficult after leaving care, and one in three became homeless in the first two years. “Often care leavers will hit the age of 18 when there are expectations they will get a career, but not many are in a position to do this as they’re dealing with so much else,” adds Webster from Amey. “They lack confidence and don’t necessarily know what a job entails. So we start with a baseline of, ‘this is what we do’ or ‘this is our electrician role’ and the like. This feeds their inquisitive nature and builds a sense of excitement and aspiration.”

Boosting confidence

So far Amey has run two cohorts of STRIVE and there are plans to run more this year. Participants took part in a range of activities across the operational lifecycle, such as visiting maintenance and response teams, spending time with operatives and managers, and observing practical demonstrations of vehicles, equipment and highway maintenance. In addition, they attended communication workshops, health and safety sessions, and career journey discussions with colleagues from both Amey and National Highways. Donna Dind, social value manager at National Highways, also stresses the positive impact it had on those who took part. “They’ve gained a stronger understanding of the highways sector and the many roles that support it. It’s been inspiring to see their confidence grow as they worked with our teams and explored opportunities available,” she says.

The support does not end by providing a short insight into the world of work. “We tailor programmes around what participants want to do as they all come from different backgrounds with different aspirations,” explains Webster. “Some have no idea what they want to do while some are set on going to university. We might point someone to an apprenticeship or alert another to opportunities for summer work or after they graduate. We set people up on LinkedIn and help them to build a network.”

Another employer looking to support care leavers into work is Whitbread, which has recently revealed plans to open up jobs to 500 care-experienced people in its Premier Inn hotels. Roles will include opportunities in housekeeping and kitchens as well as hotel and restaurant management, and the company will also offer work experience opportunities. To do this, it is working with Barnardo’s in Glasgow, Birmingham and Edinburgh and plans to further expand the scheme in the future. “What matters most to us is courage, curiosity and an enjoyment of working with a wide variety of people. All too often those who are care-experienced face barriers that others may not and we’re here to say there is a place here for you and no limits to your ambition if you’d like to work for us,” says Rachel Howarth, chief people officer at Whitbread.

Route to a career

The programme sees young people take part in an eight-week programme designed to help build confidence and employability skills. The goal is that they can then secure permanent employment at a Premier Inn local to them. With the support of a Barnardo’s Youth Worker, they will learn skills such as team-building, customer service and interview practice, delivered through a mix of classroom and practical sessions, including a week of work experience. So far, 18 people have secured jobs thanks to participating in the scheme, and Whitbread aims to employ 500 care-experienced people a year by 2027.

One of Premier Inn’s care-experienced employees joined the company as part of its housekeeping and maintenance team and is a hospitality accommodation Level 2 Apprentice. Warren says of his experience: “I’d never stayed in a hotel before, so I didn’t know much about Premier Inn. But during my work experience, I got to try every role, from the restaurant to the hotel. I really enjoyed the maintenance role in the restaurant and hotel – you spend a lot of time fixing things, and I like that. So, getting a job doing that is great! The management team has been really good at helping me with my training and pointing me in the right direction.”

There are multiple ways businesses can support care leavers, whether through targeted employment pathways or offering mentoring and support. But many report that the benefits for the business are equally impactful, as bringing in care leavers means they can improve social mobility, increase team diversity and expand the lived experience of the workforce as a whole. “It has been 100% positive,” says Webster from Amey. “Everyone is happy to be involved and our care-leavers take away the message that they can see themselves in a role here.”