Skills4Life: Supporting theNext Generation to Build Confidence, Opportunity, and Resilience with PGL Beyond
In a post-pandemic UK, the need for young people to develop resilience and the ability to deal with adversity has become a pressing challenge. This is especially true for those facing additional barriers — whether living in poverty, managing special educational needs, or coping with disrupted education. These factors often combine to reduce opportunity and affect mental health, attendance, and future prospects.
Last week at our Dearne Valley centre, PGL Beyond piloted its Skills4Life residential — a purposive outdoor adventure learning programme designed to build resilience, raise aspirations, and strengthen what research identifies as the “Four Cs” of 21st-century skills: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Fully aligned to the Skills Builder Universal Framework and accredited at Level 3, the programme blends high-quality outdoor learning with structured personal development that is both engaging and measurable. Sheffield Hallam University will evaluate the pilot to evidence its impact and ensure it continues to meet the needs of the young people it serves.
Over five days, participants tackled a progressively challenging mix of activities — from raft building and Jacob’s Ladder to the Epic Challenge — each designed to encourage autonomy, stimulate curiosity, and create personal meaning. Evening reflection campfires brought the group together to share experiences, celebrate achievements, and embed the adaptive thinking that helps young people thrive, not just survive, in uncertain situations.
For those with limited access to environments that engage, inspire, and challenge, this inclusive, multi-sensory approach is proving transformative.
Our recruitment team joined forces with Loud Speaker, whose For Love or Money workshop develops communication skills, confidence, and self-presentation. Together, we showed participants how the skills they were building could be applied directly to real-world opportunities, including roles at PGL Beyond. As an accredited Living Wage employeroffering positions with on-site accommodation, we provide opportunities that give young people a clear step into a different future. This link between personal development and tangible next steps is vital in breaking down barriers and opening doors to meaningful futures.
PGL Beyond’s ambition is to build on our reputation for excellence by working with corporates, schools, multi-academy trusts, and local authorities to address the most pressing youth challenges. Through our growing network of partners, we see the potential for Skills4Life to become a truly national offer, complementing existing education, youth work, and employability provision. Our vision is to support every stage of a young person’s enrichment and development — from a Year 6 post-SATs trip, through a Skills4Life residential, and into employment.
We also believe our approach can enhance wraparound services such as breakfast clubs and HAF programmes. By delivering both in our centres and in the communities where young people live, we can remove barriers to participation, make enrichment inclusive, and open clear pathways to work.
Early feedback has been striking. Young people spoke about finding strengths they didn’t know they had, while support staff described growth in confidence, teamwork, and problem-solving.
When young people gain the skills for life, they gain the confidence to step forward — and with the right partnerships, those steps can lead somewhere extraordinary.
