Greater Cambridge Initiative Seeks Support to Connect Young People with Opportunities

New project aims to bridge the gap for 9,000 young people not in education, employment, or training across Cambridgeshire.

Generic image of a diverse group of people in a meeting room discussing opportunities.
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Generic image of a diverse group of people in a meeting room discussing opportunities.

The 'Included' initiative, a Cambridge City Council-led project supported by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, is calling on individuals and organisations to help create personalised pathways for young people.

The 'Included' initiative, designed to connect Greater Cambridge’s young people with more opportunities, is inviting individuals and organisations to consider how they can contribute to the region's success story. The project, a collaboration between Cambridge City Council and the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, with initial funding from Greater Cambridge Development Corporation and The Cambridge Pledge, is seeking support ahead of its launch in spring 2027.
Despite Greater Cambridge being a leading innovation economy, an estimated 9,000 young people aged 16-24 across Cambridgeshire were not in education, employment, or training (NEET) in 2025. Existing programmes often struggle to reach those most in need due to fragmented access and a lack of coordination. 'Included' aims to address this by connecting available opportunities and developing tailored pathways.
Individuals and organisations can support 'Included' by offering workplace visits, work experience placements, mentoring, skills sharing, introductions, or funding. Those interested can find more information and subscribe to the mailing list at included-cambridge.org, or follow the initiative on LinkedIn.
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"Cambridge can be a fantastic place to grow up and to start your working life, but many young people cannot access the connections and experiences that will help them to become part of Cambridge’s success story. Included is designed to connect local young people with the opportunities that can change the course of their lives. There are many individuals and organisations already doing fantastic work to open up good job opportunities for young people, but it’s not always easy to navigate what’s already available. We also need to provide more opportunities. We’re asking people and organisations across Greater Cambridge how they can help open up more opportunities, to show young people they are welcome, valued and capable of achieving great things, while developing skills and knowledge to unlock job opportunities in the future. Included is about ensuring every young person in Greater Cambridge can have a good job, or be on a clear path to getting one."

Cllr Katie Thornburrow · Leader of Cambridge City Council
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"As Mayor, my job is to bring partners together so that every young person across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can find a route into learning and good work, with connected support when they need it. We are already ahead of the curve. We began developing our ten-year Youth Employment and Participation Strategy for 14–25-year-olds in March, alongside delivery of our Youth Guarantee Trailblazer. As national proposals point towards greater mayoral leadership of youth participation, we are already building the partnerships and shared approach needed to turn that ambition into action. Included is a welcome contribution to this wider regional effort. It can help connect Greater Cambridge’s remarkable employers and networks with the pathways and support young people need. I want businesses to get involved: opening a workplace, offering mentoring or creating work experience can help a young person see a future they had never thought possible."

Paul Bristow · Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
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"Every young person should have the chance to fulfil their potential and benefit from Greater Cambridge’s success. We all have a responsibility to make that happen, because widening opportunity is not only the right thing to do, it is fundamental to building a stronger, more inclusive economy. Included is bringing partners together around that shared ambition, and we are proud to support it. I would encourage everyone to get behind the project and play their part."

Peter Freeman · Chair of Greater Cambridge Development Corporation
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"The Cambridge Pledge gives people who’ve built their success here a way to give something back to the city that gave them their start. Included channels that instinct into something practical - a work placement, an hour of mentoring, an introduction that opens a door. At The Cambridge Pledge, we're proud to have helped shape it and bring it to life. And we’d encourage every pledger, founder and business across Cambridge to ask the same question Included is asking: what could you open up for a young person?"

Sara Allen · Executive Director of The Cambridge Pledge
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"In Cambridge, many young people grow up surrounded by some of the world's most extraordinary research and innovation, and yet do not necessarily see a place for themselves in it. That's not a lack of ambition or talent on their part, it's a lack of access to networks, experiences and opportunities that others take for granted. Included will join up and align activities, ensuring that more young people across Cambridge can benefit from innovation-led growth."

Kathryn Chapman · CEO of Innovate Cambridge
Based on information from the official source: Cambridge City Council (22/10/2026)