Talent Unlocked: Youth Futures Foundation

Talent Unlocked

In partnership with Youth Futures Foundation, Talent Unlocked focuses on the role of businesses to inspire, hire, and support ethnically diverse young people to thrive at work.

Unlocking Opportunity for Ethnically Diverse Young People

Launched in 2024, Talent Unlocked is a three-year partnership between Business in the Community (BITC) and Youth Futures Foundation, empowering employers to tap into the potential of young professionals aged 16-24 from Black, Asian (including Bangladeshi, Pakistani and other Asian backgrounds) Mixed, and other ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Our partnership aims to support employers to break down barriers for ethnically diverse young people currently out of work, enabling them to enter the workforce. We aim to do this through encouraging changes in employer behaviour, policies and processes for the benefit of ethnically diverse young people at the start of their careers.

The Challenge

Young people from Black, Asian (including Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and other Asian backgrounds), Mixed, and other ethnically diverse backgrounds continue to face significant barriers to gaining and sustaining meaningful employment. Through Talent Unlocked, we help employers create fairer recruitment and retention strategies, driving real change in workplace policies, processes, and behaviours to ensure ethnically diverse young people can access and sustain good jobs; tackling the ethnic disparities in youth unemployment rates head on.

have experienced discrimination when seeking work.¹

cite discrimination as the biggest barrier to finding employment.²

of young people from Black Caribbean background are currently NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).³

Our Approach

1. The King’s Seeing is Believing Visits

Through The King’s Seeing is Believing Programme, senior business leaders visit communities where race-based youth unemployment is high, such as Brent and Burnley. These immersive experiences, shaped and co-facilitated by young people from the local area, provide first-hand insight into the real challenges young people face and inspire action from some of the UK’s largest employers.

Find out more

2. The Pioneer Programme

We are partnering with 15 leading employers over two years to design and implement inclusive recruitment and retention strategies for ethnically diverse young people, particularly those who are or have been NEET.

Our goal is to identify and remove barriers, create clear pathways, and establish best practices that can be scaled across industries.

3. Sustained Employer Engagement

We support businesses through a multi-stage process, helping them build inclusive hiring practices and demonstrate the business case for diverse talent. Our work aligns with:

The Race at Work Charter
The Opening Doors Campaign
Expert Insights from our Race and Employment & Skills teams
Quarterly steering group discussions to address employer challenges

Member Spotlight

Discover how BITC member, Tesco is making a difference by supporting ethnically diverse young people through its Stronger Starts Apprenticeship Programme.

“An equitable society for all is the goal, and it’s only through collective commitment and action that this will become a reality.”

Richard Iferenta, Vice Chair & Partner, KPMG, and Chair, BITC Race Equality Leadership Board

How to get involved

If your organisation is ready to unlock the potential of ethnically diverse young talent, express your interest today.

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Talent Unlocked: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Talent Unlocked?

Talent Unlocked is a three-year partnership between Business in the Community (BITC) and Youth Futures Foundation. It supports employers in creating fairer recruitment and retention strategies to help ethnically diverse young people access and sustain good jobs.

Why is Talent Unlocked needed?

Evidence shows that ethnically diverse young people face higher levels of discrimination in recruitment, as well as disparities in education, skills, and employment opportunities. This programme helps employers break down these barriers and drive systemic change.

What are Seeing is Believing visits?

These visits allow senior leaders to witness first-hand the challenges ethnically diverse young people face in the job market, helping to inspire action and policy change within their organisations.

How does Talent Unlocked align with BITC’s Race at Work Charter?

The programme reinforces the Race at Work Charter’s commitment to improving employment outcomes for ethnically diverse individuals by providing employers with practical tools, insights, and support to drive long-term change.

What support does BITC offer to employers?

BITC provides strategic guidance, best practice insights, training, and data-driven recommendations to help organisations create inclusive workplaces where ethnically diverse young people can thrive.