Loyalty. Empathy. Grit. This is what young people who’ve overcome barriers to work bring to the businesses that hire them.
These are not our words – it’s what the businesses themselves say. Businesses such as Nando's UK & IRE and EQ Investors I B Corp.
For two decades, our Spear Programme has helped 11,000+ young people aged 16-24 to overcome barriers, such as growing up in care, so they’re truly ready to learn or earn. And Spear works: 75% of those who finish the programme get into work or education and are still there a year later.
Dozens of forward-thinking businesses - from multi-nationals to SMEs – give us fantastic feedback about the trainees they hire, and we’re celebrating this today, on Social Mobility Day 2025.
Nando’s
Nando’s has recruited over 100 Spear trainees since 2022, in restaurants across the UK. The average retention rate of Spear hires there is 78%.
Nando's says:
"Spear trainees… are some of our best employees that we've hired… they genuinely make such a difference to the teams that they work in."
10% of the workforce from Spear
Resurgo has been partnering with B Corp wealth manager EQ Investors and the EQ Foundation since 2014.
John Spiers, Chief Executive of EQ Investors & CEO of The EQ Foundation, says:
“Spear graduates have brought a huge amount to our business – 10% of our workforce now are Spear graduates.
“They’re quick learners, they’re keen and they inspire the rest of our staff by their enthusiasm. I’d really encourage any business to consider hiring Spear graduates.”
Greater social mobility could boost UK business profits by £1.8 billion a year, according to research by Demos and the Co-op (The Opportunity Effect). McKinsey’s Fixing the Ladder report also found that having a workforce from a diverse range of backgrounds boosts organisational performance by up to 36%.
What does this mean for the young employees? Take Rocky, who got a job a Nando’s after doing the Spear Programme, and was promoted in just one year. Or Hamed, who got excluded from school but after doing Spear, joined EQ Investors and went on to study for a financial qualification.