Youth Guarantee Trailblazer Year Two: A Co-Designed Badge Suite for Young People
One of our biggest pieces of work this year has been supporting the Youth Guarantee Year Two programme.
Co-ordinated by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority and supported through UK Government funding, the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer works with local partners to help young people aged 18–21 overcome barriers, build confidence and progress into education, training or employment. The programme particularly focuses on supporting young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or who may be at risk of becoming NEET.
Working closely with Youth Guarantee providers across the region, we have co-designed a new digital badge suite that recognises the progress young people make on their journey towards education, training and employment.
What makes this suite particularly special is that it was developed with providers, not for them. Through workshops, consultations and feedback, providers helped identify the skills, behaviours and milestones they see young people developing every day.
The suite, built around three stages, includes ten badges recognising engagement, transferable skills, personal development and progression:
Engage – recognising early steps, confidence and participation
Develop – recognising transferable skills and behaviours such as communication, teamwork and reliability
Progress – recognising action towards education, training and employment opportunities
The badge suite is designed to recognise meaningful progress, including achievements that are often overlooked by traditional qualifications. It provides young people with a way to celebrate their progress, build confidence and better articulate their skills to employers and others.
We'll be sharing more about the Youth Guarantee badge suite over the coming months as providers begin issuing badges across the programme.
Not a Youth Guarantee provider? You can still use the badges.
This badge suite is available to organisations supporting young people through personal development, employability and progression-focused programmes across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
👉 Complete a Digital Badge Needs Assessment and book a free consultation to explore how the badges could support the young people you work with.
