OnSide announces new £500,000 partnership with the Jaguar Land Rover Foundation

OnSide announces new £500,000 partnership with the Jaguar Land Rover Foundation to boost opportunities for young people across the UK.

National youth charity OnSide has announced a new two-year partnership with the Jaguar Land Rover Foundation (JLRF), which will invest £500,000 to help thousands of young people build the confidence, skills, and support they need to thrive. 

The partnership will strengthen both open-access youth work and targeted employability programmes across the OnSide Network, with a particular focus on young people facing the greatest barriers to education, training, and employment, including those at high risk of becoming NEET. Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) 

A major part of the collaboration will be centred in Wolverhampton, where Jaguar Land Rover has deep roots and a significant workforce. Half of the investment will go directly to The Way, Wolverhampton Youth Zone, enabling it to expand opening hours, increase employability support, and reach more than 2,500 local young people each year. 

The remaining investment will be directed nationally, supporting a further 2–3 Youth Zones to reach an additional 2,500 young people each year, including around 750 at risk of becoming NEET. 

Through both open-access youth work and targeted employability interventions, the partnership will enable young people to develop vital life and work skills such as confidence, communication, teamwork, and resilience, while also providing them with meaningful opportunities to explore future careers. 

Beyond the grant funding, the partnership will create wider opportunities for young people by building their links with the automative industry. This includes opportunities for Jaguar Land Rover employees to volunteer their skills through mentoring, site visits for young people to Jaguar Land Rover operations, and workshops involving Jaguar Land Rover colleagues, helping young people gain insights into the world of work and build connections with potential employers. 

Jamie Masraff, CEO at OnSide, said: 

“We’re incredibly proud to be working with the Jaguar Land Rover Foundation (JLRF). Their support comes at a crucial time for young people, particularly those facing significant barriers in their lives and futures. 

By strengthening both open-access youth work and targeted employability support, this partnership will make a real difference in the communities that need it most. It means thousands more young people will have a safe, inspiring place to go, trusted youth workers to talk to, and the chance to build the skills and confidence that can shape their futures. 

We’re hugely grateful for JLRF’s commitment to helping us ensure young people have the opportunities and support they deserve.” 

A spokesperson for the Jaguar Land Rover Foundation said:

“At the Jaguar Land Rover Foundation, we believe every young person deserves the chance to build confidence, develop skills, and imagine a brighter future. It’s a privilege to partner with OnSide. We’ve been inspired by their beautiful Youth Zones and their dedicated youth workers. It’s been a pleasure to get to know the team and young people at The Way Youth Zone in Wolverhampton and to see how OnSide are building the evidence to make the case for increasing access to youth services more broadly”. 

With 16 open Youth Zones forming the OnSide Network and six more on the way, OnSide is committed to ensuring young people in some of the UK’s most disadvantaged areas have access to life-changing opportunities, delivered by trained and trusted youth workers. Thanks to JLRF’s investment, more young people than ever will be able to access the support and inspiration they need to build positive futures.