NCS announces a forthcoming partnership with Ingeus & YHA to deliver brand new residential experiences for young people

In November 2022, National Citizen Service Trust (NCS) which has run youth programmes for 16-17 year olds for over ten years, outlined the evolution of their experiences for young people from 2023 onwards.

The new experiences will give young people more control over how and when they engage with NCS, and offer more opportunities to get involved closer to home.

Following a commissioning process, NCS is delighted to announce that a consortium between Ingeus and the Youth Hostels Association of England and Wales (YHA)have successfully won the bid to deliver the NCS 2023-25 residential experience. 

Ingeus and YHA will deliver the new one week NCS residential experience across England, consisting of a five day stay away from home where young people will take part in project-based learning activities that centre around one of three themes; employability, independent living, or social action. With a mix of adventurous activities and skills for life, young people will have the opportunity to make new friends from different locations and backgrounds, and discover their own potential.  

Having a selection of thematic experiences, containing different content, and making them available year-round, gives young people more opportunity to choose something personal and right for them.

Ingeus will work closely with community groups, local authorities and the wider youth sector to enable young people to take part in NCS residential experiences, and will tailor the engagement of young people to align to the needs of areas and young people that have traditionally had fewer opportunities to get involved.

Up to 120 young people will join each experience, to gain new skills on a themed employability, social action or life skills programme. Young people will have a choice of residential sites in both urban and rural settings for each of the residential themes, ensuring that the venue for their experience compliments the skills they will develop.  

Mark Gifford, CEO of NCS Trust said:

“I am so excited to see our reimagined NCS experiences start to take shape, and I look forward to them being available in the coming months. Congratulations to the consortium of Ingeus & YHA in their successful bid to deliver an evolved residential experience for the young people of this country.  Both organisations have invaluable experience in delivering NCS to young people which will support their future delivery. Our aim is to ensure that NCS experiences leave our participants feeling more work ready and world ready and Ingeus & YHA will deliver a one week residential experience that will contribute to that.”

Fiona Monahan, CEO of Ingeus UK said:

“We are delighted to be partnering with NCS to deliver this new experience, and look forward to delivering the best possible residential experiences with the YHA team in 2023. NCS has an incredibly positive impact on young people, giving them valuable opportunities to develop their confidence and skills, enabling them to fulfil their potential and be forces for good in their local communities.”

James Blake, CEO of YHA (England & Wales) said:

“Ensuring that every young person can enjoy at least one residential experience during their teenage years is a core part of YHA’s vision. We are delighted to partner with Ingeus and have the opportunity to connect NCS participants to nature, outdoors, culture and heritage – and to each other – through stays and activities.” 

More than 700,000 young people have taken part in NCS over the last decade, completing over 15 million hours of community-based social action, and gaining priceless life experiences.

Over the coming months NCS will finalise the commissioning of their community-based and digital services and will make further announcements when new partnerships are in place.