Social enterprise receives funding boost for young adults’ careers coaching
02 Nov 2023
Socially driven coaching and training enterprise, Know You More, is expanding its programmes for young people throughout Scotland, with free coaching and training on offer for those aged 18-25.
Established in 2018, Know You More’s Level Up programme is aimed at young adults who are in or out of work, comprising three one-hour coaching sessions to help people realise their ambitions, and develop critical human skills as they transition from education into employment. Delivered by a diverse community of coaches, the initiative aims to help young adults from all backgrounds, become the best versions of themselves by equipping them with skills to enable them to play to their strengths.
After completing the programme, participants can also join the Build Up initiative which teaches fundamental coaching skills to empower young people to pass on what they have learned to others.
The programme is offered free of charge, supported by Know You More’s commercial coaching offering and platform that combines one-to-one sessions with digital technology. Clients include the University of Edinburgh, Ocado, EY, the NHS’s Leadership Academy and NHS Education for Scotland, which use the coaching platform for skills development, wellbeing provision, diversity and inclusion, leadership and professional skills training.
Thanks to a £100,000 funding boost from responsible finance provider Social Investment Scotland (SIS), Know You More is setting its sights on business development, looking to expand its workforce and client base to support the growth of its free-to-access programmes.
Chris Jamieson, Head of Investments, SIS said: “Know You More is doing amazing work with young people, giving them opportunities for career and personal development they may not otherwise be able to access. However, funding is key to supporting the social enterprise’s growth and increasing its impact across Scotland, enabling the team to speak to even more young adults. SIS is a pioneer in delivering impact through finance and we look forward to seeing what Know You More achieves during this next chapter.”
“The coaching has enabled me to identify my future goals and the steps I need to take to achieve them. I feel as though I am now leading my life with a much greater sense of clarity, making decisions and taking opportunities for my future that I wouldn’t have before.”
Former participant
Level Up course
Having the opportunity to go through professional coaching is something that is close to my heart. In a past life I had the valuable support of a coach to help me navigate a huge change, but the number of people offering such services is few and far between. That’s why we have developed a digital platform that offers companies everything they needs to effectively deliver coaching and mentoring to their people all in one place. The additional funding from SIS will give us the opportunity to offer even more coaching sessions for young people, by allowing us to target new clients and grow the team. In turn, we hope to put more people through the Build Up course, where we can teach others the basics of coaching and ask them to pay-it-forward for others.
Tim Mart
Founder of Know You More