DYW North East
DYW North East is a Scottish Government-funded nonprofit workforce development intermediary operating across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, connecting employers with secondary schools, colleges, and 16-24 year olds to deliver work-related learning, apprenticeships, and the DYW Pledge. It deploys 14+ Employer School Coordinators embedded in schools and is one of 20 regional DYW groups nationally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersAberdeen, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What DYW North East does
DYW North East, formally Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) North East, is a Scottish Government-funded nonprofit workforce development intermediary established in 2014 as one of 20 regional DYW groups across Scotland. Headquartered at North East Scotland College, City Campus in Aberdeen, it operates across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire with a staff of 28 led by Director Jamie Hutcheon and Chair Mavis Anagboso (Global Head of DE&I Europe at Harbour Energy). Its core function is to reduce the structural friction between employers seeking young talent and secondary schools and colleges seeking industry engagement, with the stated aim of ensuring every 16-24 year old in Scotland is connected to an opportunity under the DYW Pledge (formerly Young Person's Guarantee). The organisation accomplished its headline mission of reducing 2014 levels of youth unemployment by 40% by 2021.
The service surface consists of six interlocking offerings: a Jobs Portal for vacancies, apprenticeships and training opportunities; the DYW Pledge employer commitment scheme structured around four themes (prepare, invest, inclusive workplaces, champion); an Events programme including the new DYW Connect format and the inaugural Connect Awards 2026; an Employer School Coordinator Programme deploying 14+ staff embedded directly in secondary schools; an Ambassador Scheme of industry representatives from sectors including energy, engineering, HR and professional services; and downloadable Resources plus Case Studies. Distribution is delivered through direct field engagement by Employer School Coordinators, the website, sponsored events, and a digital pledge registration flow. There is no proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or commercial SaaS product — the offering is fundamentally human-mediated intermediation.
The business model is fully grant-funded by the Scottish Government, which acts as data controller and primary funder. Services are provided free of charge to all user groups (employers, educators, young people and parents). Revenue diversification is limited to event sponsorship in kind (Skills Development Scotland as principal Connect Awards sponsor, alongside AXV Audio Visual, Balfour Beatty, Motive Offshore, AnythingHR, Legends Global, Mackie's of Scotland, Odfjell Technology, Flexistore and Harbour Energy). Governance is exercised through a board that includes senior figures from Harbour Energy, Shell, Balfour Beatty, Katoni Engineering and directors of education from both Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council.
DYW North East firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DYW North East
- Legal name
- Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) North East
- Website
- https://dyw.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DYW North East is a Scottish Government-funded nonprofit workforce development intermediary operating across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, connecting employers with secondary schools, colleges, and 16-24 year olds to deliver work-related learning, apprenticeships, and the DYW Pledge. It deploys 14+ Employer School Coordinators embedded in schools and is one of 20 regional DYW groups nationally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DYW North East industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Workforce Development Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs (BPADABAE)
Keywords
Where DYW North East is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aberdeen
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DYW North East business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Government Funding: DYW North East is funded by the Scottish Government as part of the national Developing the Young Workforce initiative. The Scottish Government acts as the data controller for personal information collected through the DYW North East website.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
DYW North East product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DYW North East is a publicly funded regional intermediary that connects employers with secondary schools and colleges across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to help young people develop skills for work. Its core services include an Employer School Coordinator Programme that provides on-the-ground support to schools, a Jobs Portal listing vacancies and apprenticeships, the DYW Pledge employer commitment scheme, regional events, and an Ambassador Scheme with industry representatives. All services are provided free of charge to employers, educators, young people, and parents.
Product overview
DYW North East operates as a workforce development initiative connecting employers with young people and educational institutions across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. The organisation offers a Jobs Portal for vacancies and apprenticeships, the DYW Pledge (employer commitment scheme), coordinated Events, Case Studies showcasing partnerships, an Employer School Coordinator Programme providing on-the-ground support to secondary schools, an Ambassador Scheme with industry representatives, and Resources for download. The service is structured as a community platform rather than a software product, functioning as a facilitator connecting registered users including employers, educators, young people, and parents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Jobs Portal Online portal listing job vacancies, trainee positions, and apprenticeships for young people aged 16-24 in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, including roles from employers such as QA, EY, British Army and KPMG.
- DYW Pledge (formerly Young Person's Guarantee) Employer commitment scheme (formerly Young Person's Guarantee) enabling employers to pledge support for young people across four focus areas: prepare young people for work, invest in skilled workforce, create inclusive workplaces, and champion the DYW Pledge. DYW North East facilitates pledges across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
- Employer School Coordinator Programme Programme in which 14+ dedicated Employer School Coordinators provide secondary schools in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire with on-the-ground support to develop strong and sustainable industry partnerships, acting as the bridge between employers and schools.
- Regional Employer Events and DYW Connect Programme of regular regional employer information events, DYW Scotland Employer Information & Training Sessions, and the DYW Connect annual event bringing together employers, educators, young people, and partners for networking, speaker sessions, and an awards ceremony.
- DYW Ambassador Scheme Industry representative ambassadors who fly the flag for DYW North East by sharing experiences of supporting young people and encouraging other employers to get involved. Includes ambassadors from sectors including energy, engineering, HR, and professional services.
Quantifiable outcome
- 42% increase in employer-led activities delivered in schools year-over-year
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use DYW North East
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DYW North East technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
DYW North East partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Skills Development ScotlandcoreSkills Development Scotland serves as the principal sponsor of the DYW North East Connect Awards 2026. As Scotland's national skills body, SDS supports the development of people and businesses, providing expertise in skills planning and apprenticeship programmes. Their sponsorship demonstrates commitment to celebrating collaboration between education and industry in the North East.
- AXV Audio VisualsupportingAXV Audio Visual served as silver sponsor for the DYW North East Connect Awards 2026, providing audio-visual support for the event.
- Motive Offshore Group LtdsupportingMotive Offshore Group sponsored the Employer Champion Award category at DYW Connect Awards 2026. The company, based in Boyndie and Kintore, is a specialist in marine equipment manufacturing, rental and servicing, and has been an early adopter of the Young Person's Guarantee/DYW Pledge.
- Balfour Beatty plcsupportingBalfour Beatty sponsored the Excellence in Education Award category at DYW Connect Awards 2026. The construction company is actively involved in supporting young people through school roadshows and career activities in the region.
- AnythingHRsupportingAnythingHR sponsored the Inspiring Young Person Award category at DYW Connect Awards 2026. The HR consultancy supports young people through career activities and events.
- Legends Global at P&J LivesupportingLegends Global at P&J Live sponsored the Partnership Impact Award category at DYW Connect Awards 2026. The venue management company provides event hosting facilities in Aberdeen.
- Mackie's of ScotlandsupportingSupporting organization for DYW North East Connect Awards 2026. Mackie's of Scotland is a family-owned business producing premium ice cream and crisp snacks in Aberdeenshire.
- Odfjell TechnologysupportingSupporting organization for DYW North East Connect Awards 2026. Odfjell Technology operates in the energy sector and has hosted Foundation Apprentice work placements.
- Flexistore LtdsupportingSupporting organization for DYW North East Connect Awards 2026. Flexistore Aberdeen provides storage solutions.
- Harbour EnergysupportingSupporting organization for DYW North East Connect Awards 2026. Harbour Energy is a major oil and gas operator. Their Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion serves as Chair of the DYW North East board.
- North East Scotland CollegecoreDYW North East is hosted at North East Scotland College (NESCol) City Campus in Aberdeen. NESCol provides apprenticeship training for young people placed with employers like Motive Offshore Group, and partners with schools for Health & Safety qualifications.
- Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of CommercecoreThe Chamber of Commerce collaborates with DYW North East on initiatives like the Aberdeen Young Professionals network. Their Relationship Manager Katie Watson serves as Chair of Aberdeen Young Professionals and is involved in DYW Connect events.
- Career ReadycoreCareer Ready is an 18-month programme for senior school pupils matching young people with companies for mentoring, paid summer internships, and masterclasses. DYW North East facilitates employer participation in the programme.
- Aberdeen City CouncilcoreAberdeen City Council is represented on the DYW North East board through its Chief Education Officer. The council works with DYW to support schools in the city.
- Aberdeenshire CouncilcoreAberdeenshire Council is represented on the DYW North East board through its Director of Education & Children's Services. The council works with DYW to support schools in the region.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
DYW North East competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Skills Development Scotland: Scotland's national skills agency and the principal sponsor of DYW Connect Awards 2026. SDS sits immediately above DYW in the skills-intermediation stack and effectively operates the same employer-school-youth intermediary mission at national scale.
- Movement to Work: UK cross-sector initiative led by major employers committed to providing work opportunities for young people. Highly comparable to DYW's employer-pledge model and operates alongside similar organisations in the youth-employment space.
- Education and Employers: UK charity running the Inspiring the Future and Primary Futures programmes that match employers and employees with state schools - a near-identical mission to DYW's Employer School Coordinator model. Operates UK-wide and provides the comparative benchmark for scale.
- icould: UK career exploration charity providing video stories, labour-market information and career resources to young people. Comparable to DYW's career information and resource function though delivered through digital content rather than in-school coordinators.
- Career Ready: UK charity running an 18-month structured mentoring, paid internship and masterclass programme for senior school pupils - explicitly named as a strategic delivery partner in DYW's own materials. Highly comparable in target audience, employer-engagement model and outcomes.
- Speakers for Schools: UK charity that connects state school students with leading professionals through talks, workshops and work experience. Operates a similar intermediary model between employers and secondary schools, scaled nationally across the UK.
- The Careers & Enterprise Company: Government-backed UK body that funds and coordinates employer engagement with schools and colleges across England. It is the closest functional equivalent to DYW North East, running a parallel regional network model with Enterprise Coordinators embedded in schools.
- Youth Employment UK: UK charity focused on improving youth employment outcomes through research, policy advocacy and direct programmes. Overlaps significantly with DYW's mission of connecting 16-24 year olds with work opportunities.
Broad incumbents
- Prince's Trust: Major UK youth charity running enterprise, education and employment programmes for 11-30 year olds. Larger scale and broader scope than DYW but addresses an overlapping beneficiary group and competes for similar employer engagement and government funding.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DYW North East social profiles
Digital presenceDYW North East financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DYW North East leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
DYW North East funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DYW North East M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DYW North East
What does DYW North East do?
DYW North East is a publicly funded regional intermediary that connects employers with secondary schools and colleges across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to help young people develop skills for work. Its core services include an Employer School Coordinator Programme that provides on-the-ground support to schools, a Jobs Portal listing vacancies and apprenticeships, the DYW Pledge employer commitment scheme, regional events, and an Ambassador Scheme with industry representatives. All services are provided free of charge to employers, educators, young people, and parents.
Is DYW North East a public or private company?
DYW North East is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was DYW North East founded?
DYW North East was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DYW North East based?
DYW North East is headquartered in Aberdeen, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does DYW North East make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Funding.
Who are DYW North East's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Skills Development Scotland, Movement to Work, Education and Employers, icould, Career Ready, Speakers for Schools, The Careers & Enterprise Company and Youth Employment UK. Prince's Trust is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does DYW North East have an API?
No public API is recorded for DYW North East.
What industry is DYW North East in?
DYW North East's product category is Workforce Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADABAE, Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs. Its NAICS code is 6117 and its SIC code is 8200.