Working for young people
countries
young people
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The King’s Trust around the world
The King’s Trust Group is a global network of support for young people, inspired by the vision of our Royal Founding President, His Majesty King Charles III. Our mission is to work for young people, by empowering them to build the skills for a brighter future.
About The King’s Trust Group
Since 1976, we have enabled over 1.3 million young people to change their lives for the better.
We support young people to continue their education, to secure employment and to build new businesses. During 2023/24, we supported almost 100,000 young people across over 20 countries across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East. Well over 70% of those young people who completed our employment programmes achieved a positive outcome.
His Highness Aga Khan V is the Global Founding Patron of The King’s Trust Group. HSBC Holdings plc is our Global Founding Corporate Partner. We are immensely grateful to them and all our supporters globally.
We will celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2026 – and before then, 10 years of international delivery in 2025.
‘It seems to me that every young person, wherever they live, deserves a chance to succeed – and that when that chance is given, we all share in the dividend.’
His Majesty King Charles III
We partner with schools, youth development organisations, employers and mentors. Together, we work for young people by empowering them to build the confidence, skills and experience they need to succeed in the future world of work.
Our programmes draw on our 48 years’ experience as a leading youth organisation in the UK and are adapted to the needs of young people in different countries.
Our Education programmes support children and young people who may be struggling with mainstream education. We enable them to build the confidence, communication and teamwork skills they need to navigate adult life; and the skills they need for future employment.
Our Employment programmes support young people at all stages of their journey towards employment, including those who need extra help before they are ready to secure a job and those who are actively seeking work.
Our Enterprise programmes enable young people to explore starting their own business and equip budding entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.
A Digital Disconnection?
To find out more about the future of work for young people around the world
Our Impact
Our latest Group Impact Report sets out how we supported over 100,000 young people across over 20 countries during 2023/24. The Report profiles the young people’s achievements and the progress they made with our help, and includes their inspiring stories.
You can find a brief summary of the report here.
Commonwealth
HM King Charles III is the Head of the Commonwealth, an association of 54 countries working together for prosperity, democracy and peace. The Commonwealth is home to 2.4 billion people, 60% of whom are under 30 and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.
The King’s Trust Group works closely with local partners across the Commonwealth, supporting young people and communities to develop the confidence and skills to succeed.
Timeline
1976
With a backdrop of mass unemployment in the UK, and a feeling young people were being left behind, the then Prince of Wales uses his Navy severance pay of £7,600 to establish pilot projects for young people including lifeguard training for young offenders; the conversion of an old cricket pavilion for inspiring musicians and grants for unemployed young people.
1983
The Youth Business Initiative, now the Enterprise programme, is launched with unemployment at a 50-year high and in the wake of nine days of riots in Toxteth, Liverpool - the programme has so far supported over 86,000 entrepreneurs to start their own business.
1985
The foundation of the Team self-development programme is launched in Wales and today is delivered in countries from Barbados to Malaysia.
1998
School xl clubs are launched that seek to motivate young people at risk of falling out of mainstream education. The programme has since evolved in to the Achieve programme - outside of the UK, the programme is also now delivered in 7 other countries.
1999
The Prince’s Trust as we know it today is consolidated. The charity is recognised by HM The Queen and given a Royal Charter.
2003
A ‘Fashion Rocks’ event at The Albert Hall raises £1.2m with performances from Beyonce, Robbie Williams and Duran Duran, alongside 12 of the world’s top fashion designers.
2004
The Get Into programme is piloted in response to the need for young people to gain vocational skills and work experience. The Get Into programme has been supported by a number of top employers including the NHS, HSBC, Marks & Spencer and TK Maxx. The programme is now delivered in a number of countries overseas including Greece, India and Jamaica.
2004
The Trust launches the first ‘Celebrate Success’, a star-studded awards ceremony recognising the amazing achievements of The Trust’s young people. This is now an annual awards show, The Prince’s Trust Awards, hosted by iconic British TV presenters, and long-time trust supporters, Ant and Dec.
2011
The then Prince of Wales visits areas of London affected by violence and looting including Tottenham, Hackney, Lambeth and Croydon. The Prince’s Trust calls on business to help raise a further £1.5m to help young people affected by the violence.
2015
Prince’s Trust International is launched by the then Prince of Wales at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta - the charity now delivers in 17 countries.
2016
The Trust celebrates 40 years.
2016
Mosaic becomes part of The Prince’s Trust providing mentoring support for young people from disadvantaged communities, with particular focus on young Muslims.
2017
Prince’s Trust Australia joins The Prince’s Trust family
(formerly Prince’s Charities Australia).
2018
Prince’s Trust Canada joins The Prince’s Trust family
(formerly Prince’s Charities Canada).
2018
Prince’s Trust New Zealand is established.
2018
The Prince’s Trust Group brings together all Prince’s Trust charities into a global network.
2019
HH The Aga Khan becomes the Global Founding Patron of The Prince’s Trust.
2019
The Africa Advisory board for Prince’s Trust International is established, enabling the launch of our work on the continent.
2019
Prince’s Trust USA is established.
2020
The Prince’s Trust reaches the incredible milestone of helping over a million people to transform their lives.
2021
The Prince's Trust reveals its first global report in an annual series into the future of work. Sponsored by HSBC the report highlighted young people's green and entrepreneurial ambitions.
2022
The Prince's Trust has its first Global Gala in New York co-hosted by Chairman of our Global Ambassador Group, Lionel Richie and Global Ambassador, Edward Enninful. The Prince's Trust hosts a series of events during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda including an event with our Founder and President, the then Prince of Wales, celebrating work around the Commonwealth.
2023
The Prince's Trust announced its intention to transition to The King's Trust.
Our Founding Patrons
His Highness Aga Khan V is the Global Founding Patron of The King’s Trust Group. We are deeply thankful to His Late Highness Aga Khan IV, whose philanthropy and leadership enabled The King's Trust Group to support over 30,000 young people between 2019 and 2025. We will continue our work with His Highness Aga Khan V to continue supporting thousands more young people globally.
HSBC is our Global Founding Corporate Partner. Our partnership has supported over 15,000 young people in India, Malaysia, Canada and Australia since 2019.
Through the incredible generosity of our Founding Patrons and our other valued supporters, we are able to empower young people to build the skills they need to succeed
Global Award Winners
The Prince’s Trust Global Awards
Started in 2018 and presented annually at The Prince’s Trust Awards, The Prince’s Trust Global Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of young people and communities supported by The Prince’s Trust around the world.
Arti, India
2024 Global Award Winner,
King's Trust International
Young mother Arti has broken the mould to become one of the first pink e-rickshaw drivers providing safe transport for other women.
Ridwan, Nigeria
2024 Global Award Winners, King’s Trust International
Through his ground-breaking work designing and delivering solar energy systems, Ridwan is helping to bring light and power to countless Nigerians.
Zamana, Tanzania
2023 Global Award Winner,
Prince's Trust International
A vocal champion of girls’ education, Zamana was just 16 when she launched her campaign to support girls to stay in school.
Kristin, Canada
2021 Prince’s Trust Group Award Winner,
Operation Entrepreneur
Prince’s Trust Canada
After sustaining an injury that forced her to retire from service, Veteran Kristin joined the ‘Operation Entrepreneur’ programme and started her plant business.
Ekalale Susan, Kenya
2021 Global Award Winner,
Enterprise Challenge
Prince's Trust International
When Ekalele Susan’s parents’ jobs disappeared due to Covid-19, she stepped up to support her family – despite still being at school.
Alex, UK
2022 Young Achiever of the Year,
Employability Online
The Prince’s Trust
Being labelled a naughty child and moving school four times made Alex’s early years a struggle, but an Asperger Syndrome diagnosis was the start of a change in his life and he eventually became one of the first people with the condition to join the Royal Air Force.
Global Ambassadors
The work of The King’s Trust is supported by our Global Ambassadors who help The Trust to scale our work around the world.
Lionel Richie
Chairman of the
Global Ambassador Group
Lionel Richie’s music is part of the fabric of pop music and he has achieved the honour of having #1 records for eleven consecutive years. With more than 125 million albums sold worldwide, an Oscar®, a Golden Globe®, four Grammy Awards®, the MusicCares Person of the Year in 2016, and is a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2017. In March 2018, Richie put his handprints and footprints in cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood, one of the oldest awards in Hollywood. He has received the Ivor Novello PRS for Music Special International Award. Lionel was also honoured at the 23rd Annual Power of Love Gala in Las Vegas in 2019 that raised 10 million dollars for the Cleveland Clinic, Nevada. Lionel is currently a judge of ABC’s American Idol. The Tuskegee, Alabama native is a true music icon.
In Spring of 2019, Lionel was named Global Ambassador and Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group for The King’s Trust for his selfless work helping young people all over the world achieve their dreams and transform their lives.
Edward Enninful
Global Ambassador
Edward Enninful took over as Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue in August 2017 and was promoted to European Editorial Director of Vogue in 2020 after holding a number of high-profile roles in the fashion industry. Enninful has worked with British title i-D where he was named Fashion Director at the age of 19, as well as American magazine, W and has made extensive contributions to American and Italian Vogue.
Born in Ghana 49 years ago, one of six children, Edward was brought to London as a child and grew up in the city's Ladbroke Grove area. He attended Goldsmith's, University of London, but left before graduation in order to plunge full-time into a fashion editing career. He has received a number of awards including an OBE for Services to Diversity in the Fashion industry as well numerous acknowledgements from the fashion and journalism industries for his creative work.
Edward shares his unmatched experience from a global career, with particular interest in our work in Africa to help guide and support the work of The King’s Trust across the world.
Case Studies
Sahara, Barbados
Sahara (12) doesn’t want to wait until she’s left school to start her own business – she’s keen to get going right now. Her business idea, Frutify Smoothies and Health Shack, focuses on healthy snack food, especially for children.
Rinah, Kenya
Before Rinah (25) started her own business, she and her husband struggled to put food on the table for their two young children. Rinah’s earnings from her thriving hair salon and grocery shop have transformed their family life.
Kieran, UK
Kieran’s (26) first business Kern and Bond, which he opened in 2019 showcases his graphic design skills and offers clients the opportunity to brand their businesses. His second business Katchee Gifts opened in 2020,
Rusheda, Jamaica
For Rusheda (15) from Jamaica, taking part in the Achieve programme has been an eye-opening journey, through which she discovered and developed new skills.
Habiba, UK
When Habiba completed two courses with The King’s Trust she gradually became more confident.
Grace, Canada
For Grace (17) taking part in the Get Into Programme helped her to secure a part time job and adjust to her surroundings in a new country.