Business

£87 million - the value of Prince's Trust to Northern Ireland economy in last 10 years

The Prince's Trust is this year it is celebrating 40 years of supporting 13 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion
The Prince's Trust is this year it is celebrating 40 years of supporting 13 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion The Prince's Trust is this year it is celebrating 40 years of supporting 13 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion

BUSINESS start-up charity the Prince’s Trust has contributed £87 million to Northern Ireland in the last decade, it claims.

A report, released with support from HSBC to mark its 40th anniversary, has analysed the Trust's level of social impact through its work with disadvantaged young people.

The figures take into account the return on investment of getting young people off benefits, reducing offending and re-offending, helping young people to achieve at school, and the associated savings to the public purse.

Across the UK as a whole, the Trust’s value to society was calculated at £1.4 billion over the last 10 years.

YouGov also conducted research assessing how much support young people in Northern Ireland receive and their thoughts on their future.

It found that 53 per cent of young people said they had no support from anyone when searching for a job while almost a fifth (16 per cent) said they feel hopeless about the future.

Almost a quarter of the young people (24 per cent) said they struggled to get any work experience.

Economy minister Simon Hamilton, who endorsed the charity’s mission, said: “The Prince’s Trust has played a key role in helping disadvantaged young people in Northern Ireland gain the skills and self-belief they need to lead positive and successful lives.

“This report demonstrates the phenomenal impact of their work and how that benefits both individuals and their communities.”

Prince’s Trust Northern Ireland director Mark Dougan said: “Over the last 40 years the Trust has provided an alternative support network for young people who may not have the family support they need.

“We support around 6,000 young people each year in Northern Ireland alone, and four in five of the young people we help move into work, education or training, helping to build their self-esteem and break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.”