Work Avenue

What Work Avenue does

Work Avenue is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number: 1164762, Company Number: 09595853) that provides employment and business support services to the UK Jewish community. Its service portfolio spans one-to-one careers advice, CV and interview workshops, a live online jobs board, recruitment support for employers, business mentoring (Thrive Mentoring Programme), vocational training (WAGE — Work Avenue Generating Employment — and the Richard Mintz Bursary Fund), a laptop-lending library, a schools programme, and informal Coffee & Connect sessions. All core beneficiary services are delivered free of charge.

The organisation operates the WE Hub shared workspace brand at two physical sites — the Wohl Enterprise Hub in Finchley, London and the recently opened WE Hub Belmont in Manchester — providing hot desks, private offices and meeting rooms to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Sub-brands include The Freelance Agency (a community freelance marketplace launched in 2023), WAGE, the Richard Mintz Bursary Fund, the Thrive Mentoring Programme, and Career Reboot for Women. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying infrastructure is a website-driven jobs board, a WhatsApp Job Alerts channel, recorded webinars on YouTube, and CRM-style adviser workflows.

Work Avenue is funded primarily through charitable donations and grants (including National Lottery funding for Manchester expansion), supplemented by workspace rental income from the WE Hubs and commissions from The Freelance Agency. Distribution is community-led and event-driven: workshops, an annual events calendar (New Year New Career, Finance Month, Enterprise Expo, Women in the Workplace), and referral partnerships with Dressed for Success, Smartworks and Suited and Booted drive reach. The organisation is led by CEO Debbie Lebrett and Chairman Mark Morris, supported by a non-executive board, and reported helping more than 3,500 people annually into employment or business outcomes.

Name

Work Avenue

Legal name

Work Avenue

Website

https://theworkavenue.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Work Avenue is a UK Jewish-community charity providing free employment advice, business mentoring, vocational training, and shared workspaces (WE Hub) in London and Manchester, supporting over 3,500 people annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable employment and business support services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Services (5613), Individual and Family Services (6241), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce & Job-Seeker Services (Community-Based) (EDAAAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF), Work-Study & Student Employment Funding Administration (EDALAJAI)

Keywords

• Employment support services
• Business advisory services
• Shared workspace services
• Vocational training programs
• Charitable employment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable donations and fundraising: Work Avenue operates as a registered charity (Number: 1164762) funded primarily through donations and fundraising campaigns. They ran a Charity Extra campaign that raised over £1million from 2,583 donors.
2. Shared workspace services: Revenue generated from affordable shared workspace services including hot desking, private offices, and meeting room bookings at WE Hub locations in London and Manchester.
3. Community support services (free to beneficiaries): Core employment and business support services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, funded through charitable donations and grants including Lottery funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Work Avenue is a UK registered charity that provides free-to-beneficiary employment and business support services to the Jewish community and wider public. Its core offerings include one-to-one careers and business advice, CV and interview workshops, a live Jobs Board, recruitment services, The Freelance Agency, WE Hub shared workspaces in London and Manchester, vocational training through the WAGE social enterprise, the Richard Mintz Bursary Fund, and a Laptop Library for job seekers.

Product overview

Work Avenue is a UK-based charity (Registered Charity Number: 1164762) providing a comprehensive ecosystem of employment and business support services. Rather than a single software product, Work Avenue offers an integrated portfolio of services including: a live Jobs Board for job seekers and employers, Recruitment Services, The Freelance Agency, WE Hub shared workspaces (London and Manchester), one-to-one Employment Support, Business Support with mentorship, Train and Upskill programmes (including WAGE vocational training), the Richard Mintz Bursary Fund, Laptop Library, Schools Programme, and regular Employment and Business workshops/events. These services work together to support individuals from career exploration through employment and entrepreneurship, helping over 3,500 people annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WE Hub: Shared workspace facilities offering hot desks, private offices, and meeting rooms for entrepreneurs and small businesses
• The Freelance Agency
• WAGE
• Richard Mintz Bursary Fund (RMBF)
• Thrive Mentoring Programme
• Career Reboot for Women

Products and services

• Jobs Board A live online jobs board connecting employers with job seekers in the community. Employers advertise vacancies and job seekers can search and apply for positions.
• Recruitment Services Full-cycle recruitment support connecting employers with suitable candidates from within the community.
• The Freelance Agency The community's first-ever freelance agency connecting businesses with freelance professionals for project-based work.
• WE Hub Shared Workspace Affordable shared workspaces in London (Finchley) and Manchester offering hot desks, private offices, and meeting rooms for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Employment Support Service One-to-one career advice, job search support, interview preparation, and In-Work Support services to help individuals secure and maintain employment.
• Business Support Service Free one-to-one business advice, workshops, and mentorship programs supporting entrepreneurs from startup through growth phases.
• Thrive Mentoring Programme Mentoring programme pairing entrepreneurs with experienced business mentors for ongoing guidance and support.
• Train and Upskill (WAGE) Skills training programmes including the WAGE (Work Avenue Generating Employment) social enterprise providing courses in web design, digital marketing, and graphic design with paid project opportunities.
• Richard Mintz Bursary Fund (RMBF) Training bursary fund supporting UK residents over 18 with fees for vocational courses to help advance their careers.
• Laptop Library Laptop lending programme enabling job seekers to access technology for job searching and training.
• Schools Programme Career guidance and employment support services for school students preparing for future careers.
• Employment Workshops and Events Regular workshops including CV writing, interview skills, career planning, and confidence building, plus events such as New Year New Career and Career Reboot for Women.
• Business Workshops and Events Business-focused events including Enterprise Expo, Finance Month, networking sessions, and business bootcamps.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,500+ people helped annually into employment or business success
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Dressed for SuccesscoreOthersReferral partner organization providing professional clothing and styling services to help women enter the workforce. Work Avenue refers clients who need professional attire support.
• SmartworkscoreOthersReferral partner providing professional workwear and interview clothing support. Helps Work Avenue clients present professionally for interviews and new jobs.
• Suited and BootedcoreOthersReferral partner offering professional clothing and interview attire services. Works with Work Avenue to support job seekers in looking professional for employment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Shaw Trust: Major UK charity providing employment, skills and health services to disadvantaged groups. Comparable in its focus on community employment outcomes but operates at far larger scale and across multiple beneficiary populations.
• Ingeus: Large UK employment services provider delivering government employment programmes. Comparable in its core employment support mission but operates at significantly larger scale, primarily under government contracts.
• Reed in Partnership: UK employment services provider delivering welfare-to-work programmes. Comparable in its employment placement and support services for disadvantaged job seekers, but operates at significantly larger scale under government contracts.

Direct peers

• Hatch Enterprise: UK charity supporting under-represented entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses through mentoring, events and training. Highly comparable to Work Avenue's business support arm, though focused on broader demographic inclusion.
• Enterprise Nation: UK platform supporting small business owners with advice, events and resources. Comparable to Work Avenue's business support offering, though focused on a much broader (non-community-specific) audience.
• Smartworks: UK charity providing interview clothing and employment coaching to women. Highly comparable as a referral partner of Work Avenue; both serve disadvantaged job seekers with wraparound employment support services.
• Centre for Entrepreneurs: UK think tank and support organisation for early-stage entrepreneurs. Comparable to Work Avenue's business advice and mentoring activities, though focused on policy advocacy and research alongside direct support.
• JVS (Jewish Vocational Service): US-based Jewish employment and career services organisation. Closely comparable as a Jewish community-focused employment services provider, though operating at significantly larger scale in the US market.

Regional players

• Jewish Care: Major UK Jewish community charity providing social support services. Comparable in its deep focus on the Jewish community in the UK and similar charitable funding model, though focused on elderly and social care rather than employment.
• Norwood: UK Jewish charity supporting children, families and people with learning disabilities. Comparable as a Jewish community charity operating in London, with similar fundraising approach, though focused on social care rather than employment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theworkavenue
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSsllZSHe9rsVENq1NAAOgA
• Facebookfacebook.com/theworkavenue
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/work-avenue
• Instagraminstagram.com/theworkavenue

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Work Avenue