Mission EmployAble

What Mission EmployAble does

Mission EmployAble (MEA) is a UK-registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity No. 1181597), founded in 2018 and based in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire, that runs a year-long Supported Internship Programme for young adults aged 18–25 with learning disabilities. The core delivery vehicle is Café on the Common, a working training café inside The Pavilion on Chorleywood Common (opened January 2023) where interns practise catering, front-of-house and employability skills Monday–Friday against a college timetable, while weekend service is staffed by young adults from the local community. Curriculum components include on-the-job training, functional Maths and English, a Learning, Employment and Progression Diploma delivered in affiliation with the Bucks College Group, bespoke travel training, and ongoing job coaching through placement and into sustained employment; the Global Bridge Group EdTech platform is used as part of the diploma pathway.

MEA serves three distinct stakeholder groups: (i) young adults with EHCPs as primary beneficiaries; (ii) 25 active employer partners (including Aramark) that host work placements and hire graduates into part-time paid roles; and (iii) schools, colleges and local authorities that refer candidates. The organisation employs approximately 9 staff and reports a four-year track record of 87% of interns securing paid employment and remaining in work, 97% course completion, 34 interns currently in sustained paid roles, 28,120 hours of training and job coaching delivered, and 46,980 customers served at the café.

MEA is funded through donations from individuals and corporates, charitable grants from trusts and foundations, and café transaction revenue, with fundraising delivered via ultra-marathons, golf society events, music quiz nights and community walks. GTM is community-led: partnerships with schools, colleges and local authorities in the Herts and Bucks area drive intern referrals, direct outreach recruits employer partners, and the public-facing café functions as both training facility and awareness channel. There is no proprietary technology product; digital infrastructure is limited to the charity's website, social media channels, a Microsoft Forms-based expression-of-interest flow, IONOS hosting and SiteLock security.

Name

Mission EmployAble

Legal name

Mission EmployAble

Website

https://missionemployable.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mission EmployAble is a UK charity (CIO, founded 2018, ~9 staff) that runs a year-long Supported Internship Programme for 18–25 year-olds with learning disabilities, delivered through its training café in Chorleywood in partnership with the Bucks College Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Employment Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK), Experiential Learning & Internships/Co-ops (EDALABAG)

Keywords

• Supported internship services
• Disability employment programs
• Vocational training services
• Workplace skills training
• Learning disability support

Headquarters

HQ city

Chorleywood

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The charity relies on donations from individuals, corporate donors, and fundraising events including ultra-marathons, golf society events, music quiz nights, and community walks.
2. Charitable Grants: Funding from trusts, foundations, and charitable organisations that support disability employment programmes.
3. Café Operations Revenue: Revenue generated from Café on the Common operations, which serves as both a training facility and customer-facing café open to the public.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mission EmployAble runs a year-long Supported Internship Programme for young adults aged 18-25 with learning disabilities, delivered primarily through its training facility Café on the Common in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire. The programme combines on-the-job café training, functional Maths and English, and the accredited Learning, Employment and Progression Diploma delivered in partnership with Bucks College Group, with job coaching supporting interns through placement into permanent paid employment with a network of employer partners across hospitality, retail, care, horticulture, and warehousing.

Product overview

Mission EmployAble offers a single integrated supported internship programme designed for young adults aged 18-25 with learning disabilities. The core product is the Supported Internship Programme, a year-long employability training scheme delivered through Café on The Common — a working training café. The programme combines on-the-job training at the café with functional Maths, English, and employability classes, and includes a Learning, Employment and Progression Diploma (delivered in partnership with Bucks College Group). Supporting services include Travel Training, Job Coaching, and Employment Phase Support to transition graduates into permanent paid work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Café on The Common: The primary training café facility operated by MEA where interns receive hands-on hospitality and work skills training.

Products and services

• Supported Internship Programme Year-long programme for young adults aged 18-25 with learning disabilities, combining on-the-job training at Café on the Common, functional Maths and English, and the accredited Learning, Employment and Progression Diploma, with job coaching supporting transition into paid employment with one of 25 employer partners.
• Café on the Common A real working café in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire, that serves the local community with food and beverages while functioning as the primary hands-on training environment for the Supported Internship Programme.
• Learning, Employment and Progression Diploma Accredited diploma delivered in partnership with Bucks College Group as part of the supported internship, providing candidates with a formal qualification alongside their work experience at Café on the Common.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% of interns secured a paid job over 4 years and are still employed
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bucks College GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEA delivers its supported internship programme in conjunction with the Bucks College Group. The partnership provides interns with the opportunity to earn a Learning, Employment and Progression Diploma alongside their practical work training at Café on the Common.
• Global Bridge GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationMEA works with the Global Bridge Group, a pioneering EdTech platform that connects young people and education with employers, apprenticeships and universities. This platform supports intern development and career pathway planning.
• AramarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAramark is an employer partner that has provided work placement opportunities for MEA interns. Grace's successful employment at Aramark's Northwood HQ began as a pilot internship and demonstrates the effectiveness of this partnership.
• Local Employers (25 Active Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEA works with 25 active employer partners providing work experience opportunities across hospitality and catering, retail, hotels, deliveries, care homes, cleaning, schools, horticulture, and warehouse work sectors.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• DFN Project SEARCH: UK/international supported internship programme for young adults with learning disabilities and autism, transitioning them into paid employment. Closest comparable in model, target cohort, and outcome focus.
• Choice Support: UK charity providing supported living and employment services for people with learning disabilities. Comparable as a regional supported-employment provider targeting similar outcomes.
• Advance UK: UK charity providing supported employment and advocacy for people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. Comparable as a supported employment specialist.
• Brandon Trust: UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities and autism across housing, employment, and day services. Comparable as a supported-employment provider in the same sector.
• Hft: National UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities across housing, employment, and daily living. Directly comparable on mission and supported-employment service delivery.
• MacIntyre: UK charity providing lifelong learning, employment, and supported living for people with learning disabilities. Comparable on supported employment pathways and lifeskills training.
• United Response: UK charity supporting people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs into employment and independent living. Comparable as a direct service provider focused on disability employment outcomes.
• National Star: Specialist further education college in the UK for young people with learning disabilities, with a strong employability and transition-to-work focus. Comparable in preparing disabled young adults for employment.

Broad incumbents

• Mencap: UK's largest learning disability charity, operating employability programmes, supported employment, and policy advocacy. Comparable on mission and beneficiary base, but at much broader national scale.

Regional players

• The Westminster Society: London-based charity supporting adults with learning disabilities into work and life skills. Comparable as a regional supported-employment provider with similar target persona.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MEmployAble
• Facebookfacebook.com/MissionEmployAbleCW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mission-employable-chorleywood
• Instagraminstagram.com/missionemployable

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Mission EmployAble