- Corby Business Centre, Corby, Northants
The skills shortage is not just about building new homes.
Real Work. Real Skills. Real Futures.
Dormant Trade Skills connects experienced tradespeople with young adults who need a practical route into work — using real property maintenance as the training ground, with paid participation, mentor supervision and measurable outcomes for local partners.
What We Do
A practical response to youth unemployment, lost trade knowledge and local maintenance need
Across the UK, experienced tradespeople hold decades of practical knowledge that is at risk of disappearing. At the same time, many young adults are outside work, education or training and are poorly served by classroom-only routes.
Dormant Trade Skills brings those pressures together with a third reality: Britain has endless property maintenance work that needs doing.
We use suitable real maintenance jobs as the training environment. Experienced Trade Mentors supervise young Trade Associates on site, helping them build confidence, routine, practical skills and evidence of what they can actually do.
HOW IT WORKS
Training Delivered Through Real Work
This is not volunteering, work experience or classroom simulation. It is structured, supervised, paid participation in real work.
Designed with Local Authorities in Mind
Dormant Trade Skills is built to support local youth employment, NEET reduction, community maintenance and measurable social value.
The programme focusses on:
- Paid engagement through practical work
- Mentor supervision and safeguarding
- Evidence of skills demonstrated on site
- Useful community maintenance completed
- A stronger bridge between learning, confidence and employment
Impact & Outcomes
Clear Outcomes That Matter
We track outcomes that matter to funders, partners, and participants, including:
- Attendance and engagement
- Skills demonstrated on real jobs
- Confidence, routine and work-readiness
- Progression into employment, training or further support
- Community Maintenance value delivered
Our reporting is designed to integrate with local authority monitoring and evaluation requirements.
For Trade Mentors
Pass on your skills without going back to full-time site work
Trade Mentors are experienced tradespeople who want flexible, purposeful paid work without carrying the burden of full-time site delivery.
You focus on what you know best: doing work properly, explaining standards, and helping the next generation learn how real jobs are actually done.
How Everyone Can Help
DTS Maintenance Time
DTS Maintenance Time turns suitable local maintenance work into supervised training opportunities for young people.
Work is assessed before acceptance and delivered by experienced Trade Mentors working alongside supervised Trade Associates.
For eligible households, community projects and partner-referred works, Community Pricing can help unlock jobs that might otherwise be delayed, ignored or left unresolved.
Work with Dormant Trade Skills
Whether you are a council, funder, community partner, experienced tradesperson, referral organisation or someone with suitable maintenance work, we would like to hear from you.