Find your next opportunity
Thinking about a job, an apprenticeship, a course or just something new to try? Lots of employers and organisations have offers just for young people who've been in care. Here's where to start.
Go at your own pace. You can look on your own or with someone who supports you.
Start here
These work wherever you are in the UK, so they're the best place to begin.
Search offers for care leavers
The Care Leaver Covenant has a list of jobs, apprenticeships, courses and other offers just for care-experienced young people. You can search by the kind of thing you want and by area.
Get new offers sent to you
Connects is the Care Leaver Covenant's sign-up for care leavers and the people who support them. You get updates when new work, learning and other offers come up. It's also how you get some discounts, like money off at PureGym.
Find an apprenticeship
Apprenticeships mean you get paid while you learn. In England you can search every apprenticeship on the government's website, by job type and by where you live.
Free careers advice
A careers adviser can help you work out what you'd like to do, and how to get there. It's free.
- England: National Careers Service, or call 0800 100 900
- Scotland: My World of Work
- Wales: Careers Wales
- Northern Ireland: nidirect Careers
£3,000 if you start an apprenticeship
In England, if you've been in care and you start an apprenticeship before you turn 25, you could get a bursary of £3,000. It's paid in parts during your first year, through your training provider.
What to do:
- When you start, tell your training provider you've been in care.
- Ask your personal adviser (PA) or social worker for a letter that confirms it.
- Your training provider claims it and pays it to you.
It's tax-free and doesn't count as income for benefits.
Some examples
Here are a few of the offers on the Care Leaver Covenant's list, to give you an idea. Most are only in certain areas, and they change all the time, so use the search above to find what's near you.
Jobs, apprenticeships and work experience
Premier Inn and Whitbread
Across England
Work experience from age 14, paid jobs from 16, and apprenticeships. You get an induction and a buddy to help you settle in.
Story Contracting
England and Scotland
Construction, rail and office careers, with work experience, apprenticeships and trainee jobs. You can ask about what's coming up.
Amey
Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands
Jobs and apprenticeships in engineering, roads and looking after buildings. There's a buddy scheme, and care leavers who meet the job requirements get an interview.
Manton Building Contractors
Birmingham and the West Midlands
Building apprenticeships and trainee jobs, mainly for care leavers aged 18 to 26. There may be unpaid work experience for 16 to 18-year-olds. You can get in touch even if no job is advertised.
Learning and confidence
Who Cares Consultancy
Brixton, South London
Real Lives, Real Tools is a course for 18 to 25-year-olds to build confidence and skills for work. Ask when the next group starts.
Blue Elephant, Future Steps and Nellies
Barnstaple, North Devon
Practical skills, a mentor and work experience in a café, as a step towards a job. Get in touch to talk about what you'd like to do.
Volunteering and keeping well
The Kingswood Trust
Wolverhampton
Volunteering, outdoor activities and free Saturday visits for care-experienced young people aged 16 to 25. Ring before you go so they know you're coming.
Half-price PureGym
Taking-part gyms
Care leavers can get 50% off some memberships and no joining fee. You prove you're a care leaver through Connects and get a code. Check which memberships it covers before you join.
Examples checked 7 November 2026. Ages, areas and what's on offer change, so the listing always has the latest details and tells you how to apply.
Help getting started
Applying for things can feel like a lot. These people can help with a CV, filling in a form, getting to an interview, or asking for changes so things work for you:
- Your personal adviser (PA) or leaving care team. Ask what your council offers too: some pay for travel, interview clothes or courses. See what councils offer care leavers.
- Your college or school careers adviser.
- Your Jobcentre work coach, if you get Universal Credit. They can sometimes help with costs like travel to interviews.
- A support worker or someone else you trust.
Our Job Ready for Young People pack takes you through it one step at a time, from what you're good at to your first week at work.
Kithstep isn't part of the Care Leaver Covenant or any of these organisations. We don't recruit for them or handle applications. We list them because they're free and useful. Checked 7 November 2026.