From opportunity to employment: How Lambeth is helping young people take their first step into work

A new opportunity, Three members of The Foyer Café team stand behind the counter smiling and giving thumbs up.

Finding your first job can be one of the biggest challenges facing young people, particularly if you’ve been out of education, employment, or training. Through Lambeth Full Potential, the council is working with employers across the borough to change that, creating paid opportunities that help young people gain experience, build confidence and begin meaningful careers. 

The Full Potential programme is run by Lambeth Council‘s Skills and Employment service, which is committed to ensuring every young person in the borough has equal access to opportunities. In the last 12 months, targeted youth programming supported 54 young people into employment and a further 97 progressed into education or training. 

After arriving in the UK in 2020, Mustafa struggled to find work. 

“I didn’t work since I came here,” he explains. “I didn’t know how to apply for a job. I needed people to help me with my CV. Then I found this programme and thought, ‘Let me give it a chance.” 

  • Mustafa, a café team member, sits smiling in his Groundhouse uniform against a red tiled wall.
  • Mustafa smiles behind the café counter with cakes, fruit and drinks displayed in front of him.
  • Mustafa and a colleague prepare drinks and serve customers behind the café counter.
  • Staff at The Foyer Café serve customers at a busy counter with drinks, snacks and cakes on display.

Mustafa joined an employability bootcamp delivered by WYK on behalf of Lambeth Council. The bootcamp was designed to prepare young people for one of 11 paid internships across sectors including hospitality, youth work, administration, construction, beauty and social value. 

Funded through Lambeth Full Potential, each internship paid £14.80 per hour, for 16 hours a week over six months, with the programme also covering travel and other associated costs. Every internship was filled, with each successful participant previously not in education, employment or training (NEET). Many have since gone on to achieve work-based qualifications. 

For Mustafa, the experience led to an internship with catering and facilities management company OCS Facilities Management, which provides commercial catering and food services in London. He quickly became a valued member of the team. 

His confidence has transformed. 

“Before I was nervous because my English wasn’t very good. Now I communicate with people, they understand me and they’re happy with me. I’d say my confidence has improved by 80%.” 

Alongside developing practical catering skills, Mustafa has learned how to build relationships with customers, work as part of a team and thrive in a busy workplace. 

“I know how to make coffee now. Before I was nervous, but now I can do everything because they taught me and I learned from them.” 

The supportive environment at OCS has been just as important as the training itself. 

“The people here are really nice. Lola, Dominika and everyone I work with have been so supportive. They’re happy every day and they helped me learn.”

 

Opportunity

For OCS, programmes like this are about more than filling vacancies. They provide employers with an opportunity to develop future talent while giving young people the confidence and transferable skills they’ll carry throughout their careers. 

These outcomes directly support Lambeth’s Inclusive Talent ambitions by helping residents develop skills, gain work experience and access good-quality employment, while giving local employers the opportunity to nurture the borough’s future workforce. 

Looking back, Mustafa says the opportunity has changed his outlook on life. 

“This will always be history for me. When you come to a new country and start from zero, this is a really big thing. I’ll never forget the people who helped me. I’m working now, I’m happy.” 

 

Get involved 

Could your business help create opportunities for Lambeth’s young people? If you’re interested in offering internships or other employment opportunities, contact Justin Barnes at JBarnes@lambeth.gov.uk to find out more.