Youth Enterprise & Employability Academy

What Youth Enterprise & Employability Academy does

Youth Enterprise & Employability Academy (YEEA) is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1182694), founded in 2015 originally as a Community Interest Company and re-formed as a charity in 2019, that delivers employability, enterprise, and mentoring programmes to young people aged 11–25 across Nottinghamshire. Its core programmes are the Youth Enterprise Challenge (a hands-on business pitching competition), the Employability Programme (CV, interview, and workplace-readiness training), the Business Mentoring Programme (up to 12 months of free one-to-one mentoring for entrepreneurs aged 25 and under), and the annual YEA Youth Awards ceremony. Seasonal initiatives such as the Coats for Children campaign extend the mission into direct material support for vulnerable children.

The organisation operates on a non-commercial, grant-and-donation-funded model: programmes are delivered free to young people, while revenue is generated through PayPal individual donations, community fundraising events (bake sales, quiz nights, football tournaments, gaming events), Amazon wishlist contributions, and a three-tier corporate partnership programme priced at £42 to £125. A single disclosed institutional grant of almost £10,000 was awarded by The National Lottery Community Fund in 2020 following original Nottinghamshire employer research showing 84% of firms considered school leavers unprepared for work. There is no proprietary technology product; the underlying "platform" is a volunteer-staffed delivery network combining school partnerships, youth centres, community organisations, and volunteer mentors, with Microsoft Teams used for mentoring sessions.

YEEA is headquartered at a registered postal address in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, with a secondary processing address in Nottingham, and is led by Founder/Chairman/CEO Kurtis-Jay Castle alongside Co-Founder Charlotte Louise and trustees Victoria and Robert M. The organisation is volunteer-staffed (approximately 5 people), holds the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award (2022), and maintains partnerships with Apps for Good and Into Film. It has no parent company, no external institutional investors, and no acquisitions, with operating scope confined to Nottinghamshire within the East Midlands.

Name

Youth Enterprise & Employability Academy

Legal name

Youth Enterprise & Employability Academy

Website

https://youthenterprise.academy

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Youth Enterprise & Employability Academy is a UK-registered charity that delivers free employability, enterprise, and business mentoring programmes to young people aged 11–25 across Nottinghamshire, funded by donations, corporate partnerships, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education and Employability Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAOAD

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Workforce Development Initiatives

SECONDARYBPAGADAD

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAAAFAN

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

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

Keywords

• Youth employability training
• Enterprise education programs
• Business mentoring services
• Youth skills development
• Charitable youth programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Worksop

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The charity raises funds through individual donations via PayPal, community fundraising events ( bake sales, quiz nights, football tournaments, gaming events), and Amazon wishlist contributions for specific campaigns like the Coats for Children initiative.
2. Partnership and Sponsorship Programs: Business partnerships at three tiers: Overall Partner (£125), Project/Programme Partner (£84), and Event Sponsor (£42). Partners receive branding, social media promotion, and involvement in events in exchange for financial or in-kind support.
3. National Lottery Funding: Received approximately £10,000 in National Lottery Community Fund grant for developing and extending the Employability Program. This represents grant funding for operational support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YEEA is a UK charity delivering free practical programmes for young people aged 11-25 across Nottinghamshire, including the Youth Enterprise Challenge (hands-on business pitching competition), the Employability Programme (CV, interview and confidence skills), and the Business Mentoring Programme (up to 12 months of one-to-one mentoring for young entrepreneurs aged 25 or under). It also runs the YEA Youth Awards and annual campaigns such as Coats for Children, with all programmes delivered in partnership with schools, youth centres, community organisations and business volunteers.

Product overview

Youth Enterprise & Employability Academy is a charity organisation offering a portfolio of practical programmes designed to help young people build confidence, employability skills, and entrepreneurial capabilities. The core offerings include the Youth Enterprise Challenge (hands-on business experience), the Employability Programme (work readiness training), and the Business Mentoring Programme (free one-to-one mentoring for young entrepreneurs aged 25 or under). Additionally, the Academy runs the annual YEA Youth Awards and seasonal campaigns like Coats for Children. The programmes follow a learn-by-doing philosophy with structured stages: building understanding of key skills, applying skills through real challenges, and growing through practical experience. The Academy also offers partnership and sponsorship opportunities for businesses and ways for individuals to support through donations and fundraising.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Youth Enterprise Challenge (YEC): A hands-on challenge programme where young people turn their business ideas into action, building confidence and teamwork skills.
• Employability Programme
• YEA Youth Awards

Products and services

• Youth Enterprise Challenge A hands-on challenge programme where young people aged 11-25 develop a business idea, work in teams, and pitch their idea to receive feedback, building confidence, teamwork, and entrepreneurial skills.
• Employability Programme A programme designed to help young people aged 11-25 build skills for work, including CV building, interview practice with feedback, teamwork activities, and confidence development.
• Business Mentoring Programme Free business mentoring service for young entrepreneurs aged 25 or under, providing up to 12 months of mentoring or 12 one-to-one sessions to help grow their small business with practical advice, planning, and support.
• YEA Youth Awards Annual countywide awards ceremony celebrating young people aged 11-25 in Nottinghamshire who have gone above and beyond in their community, with categories including caring, community, enterprise, fundraising, and youth award of the year.
• Coats for Children Campaign Annual campaign with the slogan 'Warm Heart for Warm Child' providing warm coats to vulnerable children across Nottinghamshire during winter months.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% of surveyed firms believe school leavers are not ready for employment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Apps for GoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established in 2017 with Apps for Good, which prepares students for an ever-changing world by offering free creative tech courses.
• Into FilmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established in 2017 with Into Film, which places film at the heart of the educational development of young people across the UK.
• Partner Organizations and SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVarious partner organizations and sponsors acknowledged on the website, providing financial support, products, services, or event sponsorship in exchange for branding and recognition.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Into Film: UK-wide charity placing film at the heart of young people's educational and personal development. Listed as an existing YEEA partner (2017); included here as an ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor, with overlapping beneficiary cohorts.
• Apps for Good: UK education technology charity offering free creative tech courses to students. Already partnered with YEEA since 2017; comparable in supporting disadvantaged young people with practical, project-based learning complementary to YEEA's programmes.

Direct peers

• Movement to Work: UK coalition of employers providing work-experience and employability programmes for young people not in education, employment or training. Highly comparable to YEEA's employability focus and its84% employer readiness research framing.
• National Citizen Service (NCS): Government-backed programme for 15–17 year-olds focused on life skills, confidence-building, and social action — overlapping directly with YEEA's employability and life-skills programming for young people in Nottinghamshire.
• Speakers for Schools: UK charity connecting state school students with workplace speakers and work-experience opportunities. Directly comparable in bridging schools and employers, and in providing youth with real-world exposure — a core YEEA value proposition.
• Young Enterprise UK: UK charity running enterprise and financial education programmes for young people aged 4–25, including team business challenges. Closely parallels YEEA's Youth Enterprise Challenge and enterprise-focused core offering.
• Catch22: UK social business delivering education, employability and skills programmes for disadvantaged young people. Comparable in target beneficiary (disadvantaged youth), intervention mix (skills + mentoring), and regional delivery model.
• The Duke of Edinburgh's Award: National youth achievement award focused on skills, volunteering, physical activity and expedition. Comparable target cohort (young people aged 14–24) and emphasis on personal development outcomes YEEA seeks to deliver.
• The Prince's Trust: One of the UK's largest youth charities, supporting11–30 year-olds into education, employment and enterprise. Directly comparable to YEEA in mission, beneficiary age range, and focus on employability and entrepreneurship skills, though operating at vastly greater scale.

Broad incumbents

• UK Youth: Umbrella body supporting a national network of youth organisations across the UK. Comparable in youth-development mission but operates as a sector infrastructure and advocacy organisation rather than a direct programme deliverer like YEEA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/yeea_uk
• Facebookfacebook.com/YEEAUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-sparkle

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Youth Enterprise & Employability Academy