Funding and Partnerships

Dormant Trade Skills is designed for councils, funders, housing partners and community organisations looking for practical routes into work for young adults.

The model combines paid participation, mentor supervision and real local maintenance work, creating outcomes that can be seen, measured and explained.

OUR DELIVERY MODEL

A work-led approach to youth employment

DTS is not a classroom course with a short work placement added at the end. The work itself is the learning environment

Young people learn through supervised participation on real jobs, while experienced tradespeople pass on practical standards, judgement and confidence that are difficult to teach in a classroom.

WHO WE WORK WITH

Partnership working

We are looking for partners who can help identify suitable participants, suitable maintenance work, community projects, referral routes, funding opportunities and local pilot areas.

The strongest version of DTS is built locally, with councils, housing partners, community organisations and funders helping shape a pipeline of work and outcomes.

01
Local authorities and combined authorities
02
National and regional funding providers
03
Housing providers and public bodies
04
Charitable and third-sector organisations
The programme is designed to complement existing provision rather than duplicate it, and can be adapted to local priorities and referral routes.

Why Maintenance matters

The UK does not only need people who can build new homes. It also needs people who can repair, maintain, adapt and improve the homes and buildings we already have.

That includes older housing, rented homes, community buildings, empty upper floors, town centre properties and small works that are often too fragmented for traditional training routes.

OUTCOMES AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Clear outcomes and reporting

The programme is designed to deliver outcomes aligned with youth employment and NEET funding priorities, including engagement, skills development, and progression into work.

Monitoring and reporting are embedded into delivery and can be aligned with local authority and funding body requirements. This provides clarity, accountability, and confidence for commissioning partners.

SUITABILITY FOR COMMISSIONING

Designed for commissioning and pilot delivery

Dormant Trade Skills is suitable for:

Pilot funding and proof-of-concept delivery
Local authority commissioning
Partnership delivery alongside existing programmes

The model is scalable, adaptable, and designed to operate within established governance and safeguarding frameworks.

Work with Dormant Trade Skills

If you are a council, funder, housing provider or community organisation interested in a practical youth employment and maintenance pilot, we would welcome a conversation.

Dormant Trade Skills connects experienced tradespeople with young adults who want to learn trade skills as a practical route into work — delivering paid trainingreal maintenance jobs, and measurable outcomes.

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Contact Details

If you have questions you can contact us

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