The Fedcap Group

: We've partnered with IKEA to help unemployed young people across the UK access meaningful workplace experience as part of a shared commitment to improving pathways into employment.

Through a series of Employer Awareness Days, young people participating in the DWP's Restart programme visited IKEA's Croydon store to explore career opportunities and experience the workplace firsthand.

The initiative responds to a pressing challenge: nearly 1 million 16-24-year-olds in the UK are currently Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).

Employer Awareness Days also bring to life one of the Community Impact Policy Institute's recommendations to tackle youth inactivity in the region: expanding universal access to meaningful work experience.

A huge thank you to IKEA for opening its doors and demonstrating the critical role employers play in creating meaningful pathways to economic mobility. Partnerships like these are essential!

Read more about our partnership: https://fedcapgroup.org/news/ikea-and-fedcap-partner-to-supports-young-people-to-gain-real-world-work-experience

Read the report: https://cipi.fedcapgroup.org/research/recommendations-to-end-youth-inactivity-in-the-u-k-a-national-framework-for-re-engagement

Over the weekend, Runway of Dreams hosted its Chicago Abilities Expo show, the last of three immersive events hosted in partnership with Gamut Management.

The expo featured a Runway of Dreams fashion show and the GAMUT Village™ to showcase adaptive designs and products from brands that have been awarded the GAMUT Seal of Approval™. The certification designates specific designs that have met stringent standards of accessibility and authentic development in collaboration with PWDs.

These brands, communities, and organizations are defining what inclusive design looks like, and events like this one in Chicago are setting new industry standards across fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.