A young man with short dark hair and a beard, wearing a black zip-up jacket, stands at a wooden podium speaking into a microphone. He has a name tag that reads 'Brhane Hagos Durkan' and 'Youthbuild UK'. An older man with glasses, wearing a striped suit and tie, is seated in the background, smiling. The setting appears to be an indoor event or speech in a room with large windows and wood paneling.

What We Do

We engage with organisations and employers in the construction industry to encourage them to offer work opportunities to disadvantaged young people.

Through our annual events programme we bring together experts in the sector to identify and share best practice, and our annual Young Builder of the Year Awards celebrate the exceptional achievements of socially excluded young people and the organisations that support them.

A young man with short dark hair and facial hair wearing a white t-shirt, speaking and gesturing with one hand against a plain white wall.

The People We Help

We aim to empower disadvantaged young people, ranging from 14-24 years old at risk from social exclusion, those already excluded and young offenders.

People at a formal networking event, engaging in conversations, with some wearing name tags, in an elegantly decorated room with green wallpaper and framed paintings.

Group of five people, three men and two women, standing outdoors by the Thames River with the London Eye in the background, during daylight. One woman holds a framed award, and all are smiling, dressed in business or semi-formal attire.

Celebrating Achievement

We hold the annual YBUK Young Builder of the Year Awards.

The awards are given in two categories:

-In education, 14 – 18 years old

-In training/employment, 18 – 24 years old

The awards focus not only on the qualifications gained, but the distance travelled for each nominee, whether that’s rising to challenges, breaking down barriers or overcoming adversity to achieve success.

Our Aim

“To alleviate poverty, relieve unemployment and advance the life of young people, for the public benefit, by providing, in particular but not exclusively, advice, support and education in construction skills.”

Our Objectives

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ENGAGE

We work with employers, organisations and leaders in the construction industry who wish to offer training and work opportunities to disadvantaged young people.

Graphic with a dark blue background and light blue target icons connected by dotted lines.

GUIDE

We disseminate and share best practice, in particular by bringing together like-minded experts and young people at our events.

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CELEBRATE ACHIEVEMENT

Our Annual Young Builder of the Year Awards celebrate the achievements of socially excluded young people and the organisations that support them.

Our Governance

We are a charity, a company limited by guarantee and we are governed by a Board of Trustees.

We are supported by an Honorary President, Sir John Hayes, MP.

Our Honorary President

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Sir John Hayes has been a MP since 1997, when he was elected to represent South Holland and the Deepings in Lincolnshire. He has held 5 ministerial positions, including Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning (when he first became involved with Youthbuild UK) and 6 shadow ministerial positions. He was appointed to the Privy Council in 2013.
Prior to becoming a MP, he was a director of a Nottingham based IT company and a Nottinghamshire County Councillor.
His varied interests include education, elections and campaigning, political ideas and philosophy, local government, agriculture, commerce and industry, welfare of the elderly and disabled people.