Skillwise was originally developed by Dr Robin Stead as a corporate training platform, but proved to be especially effective with young people who had been previously disadvantaged and were regarded as being ‘untrainable’.
In the past decade, the team shifted focus away from the urban, corporate world to engage with the many small towns and villages where more than 4 million young people are found who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET).
We have set up centres where startup entrepreneurs are able to offer the training for a modest fee, and students gain skills which enable them to compete in the marketplace with their urban counterparts.
By 2023, over 3000 have completed this program, and their reactions to the experience show that they have changed in many ways apart from have gained skills for the workplace. They have lost their fear of failure, they have learned to power of never giving up, and they are more self-motivated in pursuing their goals.
Skillwise Foundation has been set up to continue this work as a charitable organisation
The Skillwise platform and empowerment methodology has been refined over many years. Here's a recent presentation from WeCanChange on how, and why it works