VIY

What VIY does

VIY (Volunteer It Yourself) is a UK Community Interest Company (CIC), operating since 2011 and formally incorporated in April 2015 (company no. 09537026), that runs a youth trade-skills programme pairing NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and economically inactive young people aged 16-30 with professional tradespeople mentors on community renovation projects. Since inception VIY has completed over 1,027 community projects, involved 17,786 young people, and awarded 9,475 City & Guilds accreditations; in 2024-25 alone it delivered 130 projects and 2,051 young participants across England, Wales and Ireland. Delivery is operational rather than technology-platform based: there is no proprietary software, API or AI capability disclosed, and the model relies on volunteer tradespeople, in-person mentoring, and four regional hub offices (Weybridge registered office, London & South East, West Midlands, East of England).

The core product set comprises (i) the Trade Skills Programme delivering Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations in Painting & Decorating, Carpentry, Bricklaying and Health & Safety, (ii) Progressions Support that routes participants into apprenticeships, further training or employment (21% of 16+ NEET learners moved into EET in 2024-25), and (iii) a Community Retrofit Service launched via the Ørsted Hornsea 3 Community Fund that delivers energy-efficiency upgrades alongside green-skills City & Guilds and NOCN qualifications. Strategic partnerships extend reach into specific verticals: a Sport England national partnership (2021-2025) has match-funded 200 sports clubs and unlocked £3.2m+ in additional investment; a Dulux/AkzoNobel Let's Colour partnership has supported 238 projects and trained 3,554 young people; and a Lancashire Cricket Foundation / ECB partnership under the Inspiring Generations programme has renovated 21 cricket clubs across Greater Manchester.

VIY is funded almost entirely through grants and corporate partnerships rather than direct fees — services are free for young participants and community venues. Confirmed grants include £145,000 from Postcode Innovation Trust (2021), £225,000 from Innovation Trust/People's Postcode Lottery (February 2024), and £80,000 over two years from The Considered Ask (2024), supplemented by UK Shared Prosperity Fund pass-through via local councils (Nottingham, Norwich, South Tyneside, Castle Point) and trade-partner in-kind contributions from Dulux, Toolstation and Travis Perkins. As an asset-locked CIC, VIY has no equity, no investors and no parent company, and is governed by a board of directors with an external non-executive Advisory Board aligned to Sport England Tier 2 partner standards.

Name

VIY

Legal name

Volunteer It Yourself Community Interest Company (CIC)

Website

https://volunteerityourself.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VIY (Volunteer It Yourself) is a UK Community Interest Company running a youth trade-skills programme that pairs NEET young people aged 16-30 with professional tradespeople mentors on community renovation projects, awarding City & Guilds accreditations and funded by grants and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Skills Training and Community Development Services

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth trade skills training
• Community renovation services
• Vocational mentoring programmes
• Neet employment support
• Community interest programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Weybridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: VIY operates as a Community Interest Company (CIC) funded primarily through grants from charitable foundations, lottery funds, and government programmes. Major grants include £225,000 from Innovation Trust/People's Postcode Lottery, £80,000 from The Considered Ask, and UKSPF funding through local councils.
2. Corporate Partnership Funding: National corporate partners (Dulux, Toolstation, Travis Perkins, etc.) provide both financial funding and in-kind donations of materials. Partnership arrangements span multiple years with specific project co-funding.
3. Match-Funding: Sport England match-funds renovation projects, with VIY unlocking over £3.2 million in additional investment in sports and physical activity through cross-sector partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VIY operates a youth skills programme that pairs NEET and at-risk young people aged 16-30 with professional tradespeople mentors to learn trade skills (Painting & Decorating, Carpentry, Bricklaying, Health & Safety) on hands-on community renovation projects. Participants earn Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations and receive progressions support into further training, apprenticeships or employment. The organisation also delivers community retrofit services for energy-efficiency upgrades in community buildings.

Product overview

VIY (Volunteer It Yourself) is a Community Interest Company (CIC) offering a youth skills programme that pairs disengaged or NEET young people (aged 16-30) with professional tradespeople mentors. Participants gain Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations in trade skills (Painting & Decorating, Carpentry, Bricklaying) while renovating community spaces. The programme includes Progressions Support for employment pathways and Community Retrofit Services for energy-efficiency upgrades. VIY operates across multiple UK regions with cross-sector partner funding and is not a software technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VIY Trade Skills Programme Youth engagement programme pairing young people aged 16-30 with professional tradespeople mentors to learn trade and employability skills through hands-on community space renovation projects.
• City & Guilds Accreditations Entry Level 3 City & Guilds qualifications in trade skills such as Painting & Decorating, Carpentry, Bricklaying and Health & Safety awarded to young participants on completing VIY projects.
• Progressions Support Employability and career support services helping young people transition into further training, apprenticeships or employment following their VIY experience.

Named customers9 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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Sport EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020National partnership (2021-2025) match-funding renovation of 200 sports clubs and active community spaces. Sport England provides funding that VIY uses to unlock additional cross-sector investment. Partnership supports Sport England's Uniting The Movement strategy to transform lives through sport.
• Dulux (AkzoNobel)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020Over 4-year partnership through Dulux's Let's Colour initiative. Dulux has supported 238 projects, trained 3,554 young people in Painting & Decorating, donated 16,040 litres of paint, and contributed to 2,991 Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations. Community Partner to Dulux Decorator Centre network of 230+ stores.
• ToolstationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrade partner with 9 projects completed and 200+ City & Guilds accreditations funded. Provides funding for mentoring and qualifications, donations of materials and equipment, and volunteer staff. Target to help 100+ young people gain qualifications annually.
• Lancashire Cricket FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Inspiring Generations cricket strategy, renovating 30 grassroots cricket clubs across Greater Manchester. VIY delivers employability opportunities for NEET young people while renovating club facilities. Part of 10-Point Action Plan with ECB and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
• Travis PerkinssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrade partner providing materials and donations for community renovation projects. Supports multiple projects across different regions.
• BarclaycardsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to boost grassroots music and arts venues. Supported Aaja Music project in Deptford for construction of new venue space.
• Channel 4supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored Channel 4's Changing Rooms revamp; paint leftovers used for Amber Foundation Trowbridge project. VIY team and Channel 4 colleagues volunteered on site.
• Think ActivesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive Partnership in West Midlands. Partnership to refurbish 6 community spaces across Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire to enable more physical activity. 79 NEET/at risk young people took part.
• Construction Youth TrustsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partner connecting VIY with young people seeking construction industry experience. Referred participants to Aaja Music project in Deptford.
• City College NorwichsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducational partner referring students to VIY projects and offering progression pathways including art studies at the college.
• Rugby Football Union (RFU)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to boost grassroots rugby clubs across the country, helping them become more inclusive, sustainable, and attract more local people to the sport.
• England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Inspiring Generations cricket strategy for Greater Manchester, working with Lancashire Cricket Foundation and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Scale indicators31 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth charity with extensive enterprise and employability programmes including construction trades pathways; broader portfolio but overlapping youth-skills-employment mission with VIY.
• Catch22: Large UK social business running employability, education and NEET programmes including construction skills pathways; overlapping youth-employability mission at greater scale.
• Toolstation Trade Programs: Trade merchant running trade-skills initiatives and partnering with VIY; comparable trade-sector youth engagement mission at larger commercial scale.
• Dulux Academy (AkzoNobel): Paint industry's training arm running Painting & Decorating apprenticeships; directly relevant to the Painting & Decorating accreditation stream that VIY delivers.

Others

• City & Guilds: Awarding body whose Entry Level 3 accreditations VIY issues to participants; VIY is co-located at the City & Guilds London office, evidencing deep operational integration as accreditation partner and channel.
• Sport England: Strategic partner and major funder of VIY; relevant peer as a national sports funding body commissioning community-based youth engagement programmes.

Regional players

• Key Fund: UK social enterprise funder focused on disadvantaged communities and social investment; comparable social-purpose organisation supporting community regeneration, though funding-side rather than delivery-side.

Direct peers

• Movement to Work: UK consortium of employers and charities providing work-readiness training and employment pathways for disadvantaged young people; comparable NEET-to-employment mission and partnership-led model.
• Construction Youth Trust: UK charity helping young people access construction industry careers; directly comparable to VIY as both target disadvantaged youth into trades careers and VIY has named Construction Youth Trust as a referral partner.
• YouthBuild UK: International youth construction programme model combining hands-on building skills training with community projects for disadvantaged young people; directly comparable model to VIY.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/teamviy
• Facebookfacebook.com/privacy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/volunteerityourself
• Instagraminstagram.com/volunteerityourself

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 VIY