Worldwide what once were areas of heavy industry and mass production are facing economic downfall due to the impact of factors that include globalisation and automation. Areas in which a single company provided employment for families for generations are in significant decline as such companies have closed down leaving family members who had no opportunity to redevelop skills for alternative employment and enterprise jobless. Overtime people within these areas have lost confidence resulting in low self-esteem and little belief that they can ever find opportunities for work that they can do successfully let alone employment or enterprise opportunities that they may have always wanted to do. People’s lives from such areas are also further hampered by the poverty stricken and socially deprivation that they face that results in poor housing, education and health rates and which invites crime and which can impact on family breakdown. A sense of hopelessness can sets along with a dependence on social benefits as whole groups of people from such communities struggle to believe that they can make any kind of positive progress with their lives or those of their children. This can have long-term damaging impacts on communities that hamper their development and that of the individuals and families within them for generations.

In the 21st century jobs for life are increasingly becoming difficult to find. The world is now more competitive than ever diminishing equality of opportunity for those from the poorest of backgrounds to make significant progress as the wealth gap widens and class differences become greater.

To tackle these challenges, we aim to provide a range of intercultural skill development initiatives, which support individuals, organisations and communities to develop their capacities to enable employment and enterprise.