NCS announces a forthcoming partnership with Ingeus & YHA to deliver brand new residential experiences for young people
Press Release: 18th January 2023
- NCS Trust will shortly be entering into a contract to commission a consortium of Ingeus & YHA (England and Wales) to deliver a new residential experience for young people.
- Ingeus & YHA will deliver a new one week residential experience which utilises project based learning centred around one of three themes.
- The residential experience is one of three new NCS experiences available to young people from 2023.
In November 2022, National Citizen Service Trust (NCS), outlined the evolution of their experiences for young people from 2023 onwards. Learn more.The new experiences will give young people more control over how and when they engage with NCS, and offer more opportunities to get involved closer to home.
Following a commissioning process, NCS is delighted to announce that a consortium between Ingeus and the Youth Hostels Association of England and Wales (YHA) have successfully won the bid to deliver the NCS 2023-25 residential experience.
Ingeus and YHA will deliver the new one week NCS residential experience across England, consisting of a five day stay away from home where young people will take part in project-based learning activities that centre around one of three themes; employability, independent living, or social action. With a mix of adventurous activities and skills for life, young people will have the opportunity to make new friends from different locations and backgrounds, and discover their own potential.
Having a selection of thematic experiences, containing different content, and making them available year-round, gives young people more opportunity to choose something personal and right for them.
Ingeus will work closely with community groups, local authorities and the wider youth sector to enable young people to take part in NCS residential experiences, and will tailor the engagement of young people to align to the needs of areas and young people that have traditionally had fewer opportunities to get involved.
Up to 120 young people will join each experience, to gain new skills on a themed employability, social action or life skills programme. Young people will have a choice of residential sites in both urban and rural settings for each of the residential themes, ensuring that the venue for their experience complements the skills they will develop.
Mark Gifford, CEO of NCS Trust said: “I am so excited to see our reimagined NCS experiences start to take shape, and I look forward to them being available in the coming months. Congratulations to the consortium of Ingeus & YHA in their successful bid to deliver an evolved residential experience for the young people of this country. Both organisations have invaluable experience in delivering NCS to young people which will support their future delivery. Our aim is to ensure that NCS experiences leave our participants feeling more work ready and world ready and Ingeus & YHA will deliver a one week residential experience that will contribute to that.”
Fiona Monahan, CEO of Ingeus UK said: “We are delighted to be partnering with NCS to deliver this new experience, and look forward to delivering the best possible residential experiences with the YHA team in 2023. NCS has an incredibly positive impact on young people, giving them valuable opportunities to develop their confidence and skills, enabling them to fulfil their potential and be forces for good in their local communities.”
James Blake, CEO of YHA (England & Wales) said: “Ensuring that every young person can enjoy at least one residential experience during their teenage years is a core part of YHA’s vision. We are delighted to partner with Ingeus and have the opportunity to connect NCS participants to nature, outdoors, culture and heritage – and to each other – through stays and activities.”
More than 700,000 young people have taken part in NCS over the last decade, completing over 15 million hours of community-based social action, and gaining priceless life experiences.
Over the coming months NCS will finalise the commissioning of their community-based and digital services and will make further announcements when new partnerships are in place.
Notes to Editors
About NCS (National Citizen Service)
NCS is an experience like no other. Designed for 16-17 year olds, and for young people (aged between 18 and 24) with special educational needs and disabilities, NCS runs year round and offers a range of experiences for young people throughout the year. Teens get the opportunity to mix with a new crowd, learn about independent living, take on new challenges and build friendships.
The programme is all about emboldening young people – by giving them a taste of independence and equipping them with essential work and life skills.
NCS participants will benefit from a new residential experience from 2023, which will consist of a five day stay away from home where they will take part in activities that centre around employability, independent living or social action. Young people will have access to digital experiences and will be able to take part in NCS closer to home with regular one-off activities where they can gain new skills, learn more about their local community, and how they can help to improve it.
Since 2009 more than 700,000 young people have taken part in NCS, completing over 15 million hours of community action, and gaining priceless life experiences.
NCS offers bursaries and support to those who need it most, including families on Universal Credit and young people with special educational needs or disabilities, in line with its commitment to make the life-changing NCS experience available to every young person.
NCS delivers value for money. £3.05 of benefits to society for every £1 spent. During lockdown NCS has had over 1.7 million unique engagements with teens through its ‘Staying Connected’ hub.
About NCS Trust
NCS Trust is an Arm's Length Body of DCMS incorporated by Royal Charter and established to shape, support, champion and lead a thriving National Citizen Service.
National Citizen Service Trust is registered in England and Wales with Royal Charter Body number RC000894.
To learn more about NCS Trust visit LinkedIn
To find out more visit wearencs.com
Visit NCS social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
About Ingeus
Ingeus UK delivers services to help people improve their employment, skills, health, and wellbeing. Our mission is to enable better lives and we work with government and partners to drive social change and improve life chances.
We have been delivering trusted and tailored solutions for customers and communities since 1994 across the UK. Our 2,500 expert team members and hundreds of local partners work collaboratively to deliver a wide range of contracts including Future You (NEETS), Restart Scheme, Job Entry Targeted Support, Work and Health Programme, National Citizen Service, Access to Work Mental Health Support Services, NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, and Commissioned Rehabilitative Services.
Ingeus has delivered the National Citizen Service for more than ten years, supporting thousands of young people to complete the experience of a lifetime, and contributing hundreds of thousands of hours of social impact projects and community giving.
Ingeus UK is part of APM Group, a global human services and healthcare organisation with a network of more than 14,000 people across 11 countries.
For more information visit www.ingeus.co.uk or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
About YHA (England & Wales)
YHA (England & Wales) is a leading youth charity with a 92-year history of making travel and adventure accessible to all, especially young people. Operating more than 150 locations throughout England and Wales, YHA offers a unique range of affordable accommodation including youth hostels, camping and cabins in rural, coastal and city locations.
Through its social enterprise model, revenue from YHA’s hostel accommodation is directed towards its social purpose.
Established in 1930, YHA’s charitable objective remains as relevant in 2022 as it was in 1930 – ‘To help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside, and appreciation of the cultural values of towns and cities, particularly by providing youth hostels or other simple accommodation for them in their travels, and thus to promote their health, recreation and education.’
YHA’s charitable purpose is at the forefront of its 10-year strategy - Adventure. For the first time and a lifetime. Our 10-year strategy for connecting people and places. Access for All is at the heart of the strategy which will see YHA reaching more people and growing its impact, with a particular focus on those who could benefit the most. It will also establish YHA as a leading national charity and social enterprise. The strategy can be viewed and downloaded at yha.org.uk/about-yha/yha-strategy-2020
To see the difference that YHA makes to the lives of young people and their families, visit YHA’s YouTube channel.
Further information about YHA can be found at yha.org.uk
