Life skills for learners
Readiness for learning, work and life. Measurable change in weeks.
Today’s learners face unprecedented challenges
Young people are trying to learn and plan futures in a post-Covid world shaped by social media and rapid advances in AI.
Confidence is fragile, pastoral need is rising and too many learners are drifting away from education into inactivity.
The numbers
- 1 in 3 young people have little or no confidence. That’s up to ten learners per typical classroom missing out, all because they lack self-belief, not potential.
- 13.6% of 16 to 24-year-olds in England were not in education, employment or training in 2024. That’s roughly 837,000 young people missing out on life experiences and opportunities.
- Only 1 in 4 NEET young people are confident about what employers want.
“if we’re going to turn this around, we need to create more ambition”
ANDREW CROPLEY, Principal and Chief Executive, West Nottinghamshire College
Why this matters for providers helps
If you’re a provider, you’ve seen how poor confidence, ambition and wellbeing show up as patchier engagement and slower progression.
The research urges providers to “put wellbeing first” and to strengthen employability, calling for a shift to prevention and earlier, practical help that builds agency and coping skills. But time and staffing are already stretched.
UpLift is part of the solution
UpLift exists to break cycles of disadvantage and build the next generation of motivated learners, engaged workers and inspired leaders. Changes that drive social mobility, cultural renewal and economic growth.
We work with public-sector organisations, employers and learning providers with the goal of improving attendance, wellbeing and employability, and to support progression into further study, apprenticeships and work.
Outcomes we focus on:
- Higher motivation, confidence and ambition
- Better self-management and attendance habits
- Stronger engagement and follow-through
- Clearer goals, improved progression and destinations
- Cohort evidence you can share with stakeholders, partners and funders
Demand for practical, proactive support is high, yet 88% of a recent UpLift cohort said they had never experienced anything like this before.
Equipping learners with coaching tools for success
Programmes
Our programmes give learners practical coaching tools and strategies, so they can build confidence, resilience and skills that equip them for employment and help them realise their potential.
Case Studies
Learners often tell us they’ve never done anything like this in college. It feels private, practical and about them.
See real outcomes from recent cohorts. Our evidence shows measurable gains in confidence, motivation and ambition, with clear reporting take to SLT and funders.
Contact Us
Are you looking for calmer classrooms and better progression? Tell us a little about your setting and we’ll suggest the best fit.
Hear it from the learners
“This Programme has helped me create clear goals for my future self. It has given me the confidence to push forward in life and reach my full potential”
Anonymous Learner, West Nottingham College
Who we are
At UpLift, we draw on decades of experience in teaching, coaching, mentoring and empowering young people.
We pair evidence-based practice with genuine care to build self-awareness and practical employability skills such as goal setting, communication and follow-through.
This means learners can expect to feel more confident and motivated, manage themselves better and take practical next steps toward work, placements or further study.
We are:
Sarah McNicol
– Founder of UpLift
Sarah is a coach with three decades in personal transformation and more than 17 years building personal development, employability and enterprise programmes in FE and HE. She has led large, funded initiatives in colleges and universities and now distils that expertise into UpLift.
Allen Graham
Allen Graham is the founder and Managing Director of Circling Squares, which brings senior leadership insight, public-sector know-how and practical delivery support that helps organisations turn intention into outcomes.
Jane Bartholomew
Jane is an educator, researcher and mentor with a strong track record in course design and delivery, with the aim of supporting the development of young people in readiness for their next steps.