The UK is one of the least socially mobile countries in the developed world. All too often your success in life is determined by the postcode you were born in:

• In poor areas, 25% of young people are NEET* by age 16 compared to only 1% in more affluent areas.
• Young men who were NEET are 3 times more likely to suffer from depression, and 5 times more likely to have a criminal record, than their peers.
• Unemployment and low skills are one the biggest drivers of poverty. They exacerbate homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, child neglect, crime, health problems and poor educational performance in children.
• Teenagers from the most disadvantaged areas of the UK are four times less likely to apply to university than their peers from more affluent areas.
• High youth unemployment is costing the British economy £45bn per year.

The consequences of this are severe. In 2015 1.25 million people, including 300,000 children, were destitute (lacking food, shelter or basic necessities). In less than 5 years it is expected that 37% of children in the UK will be living in poverty. Our society is going backwards.

*Not in education, employment or training.

Ref: State of the Nation, 2017; Social Mobility in Great Britain, UK Government, 2017; Audit Commission, 2010; Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2016; UCAS Data, 2016; PWC, 2016

WildHearts is committed to addressing social mobility in the UK.  We raise the aspirations of our young people and help those from poorer backgrounds into employment. Micro-Tyco and its unique combination of Inspiration, Knowledge and Networks, is our flagship programme for delivering this. The evidence for its success is clear;

• Education and skills are the biggest factors in predicting whether individuals are likely to experience poverty.
• Young adults who experienced employment activities while at school were five times less likely to be NEET and earned, on average, 16% more than peers who recalled no such activities
• Overwhelming evidence shows that employment gains are due to enhanced social capital and career knowledge rather than enhanced employability skills

Micro-Tyco is a multi-award winning entrepreneurial education programme that transforms lives. It is the only initiative of its kind to win the Social Innovator Prize from Babson College, the world’s top school for entrepreneurship.

Micro-Tyco is free for all young people across the UK.

Ref: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, UK Poverty Report, 2017; Ofsted, 2010; Understanding Employer Engagement in Education, 2014