Skills organisation for young people partners with The Open University

Posted on 24 June 2025 • Around the OU

Birmingham-based Young Leaders Club (YLC) is working with The Open University (OU) to help young people from underrepresented backgrounds reach for their goals through an exciting education collaboration.

This new partnership will extend the club’s existing educational support by signposting its members to the OU’s OpenLearn Create platform, a treasure-trove of free courses on skills to land a great job or help them climb the ladder of success.

It will supplement the club’s existing face-to-face support for young people that already exists in the shape of workshops from financial literacy to leadership skills, sales training and coaching in interviewing skills plus many more.

Hundreds of free courses

The YLC can access hundreds of free courses to help them on their way or assist others become industry leaders in their field. Course durations can be as short as an hour or last 24 hours and beyond.

The YLC can also host its own courses on the platform and businessman Jamil Shabir, who founded the club in 2024 in the West Midlands, says:

“This partnership with The Open University is a game-changer for our young people.

“By combining our real-world workshops with access to hundreds of high-quality online courses, we’re giving them the tools to build confidence, develop critical skills, and map out their futures with purpose.

“Education shouldn’t come with barriers, and through this collaboration we’re helping to remove them. Whether it’s a one-hour course on CV writing or a deep dive into digital skills, our members can now access support that fits around their lives and ambitions.”

Benefit from new skills and mentoring

The YLC was created to help underrepresented young people from the age of 16-24 network and pick up new skills.

Additionally, there are opportunities to meet young mentors like Santina Bunting to help inspire them to ensure they reach their full potential.

She said:

“I’ve seen first-hand how access to the right knowledge can transform lives. For many young people, especially those who haven’t followed a traditional route, having free, flexible learning opportunities like this can be the spark they need to believe in their potential.

“This new platform opens the door for self-directed learning and personal growth. It’s more than just gaining skills, it’s about showing young people that their goals are within reach, no matter where they start from.”

Chaitali Patel, Head of Prospects at the OU, said:

“We are delighted to be supporting Young Leaders Club. Its aims align with our mission to open up education to all and give people from all backgrounds the skills they need to get ahead in their careers.”

OU Business Barometer

According to this year’s Open University Business Barometer, a revealing annual survey that takes the temperature of the health of British business, just over half of the employers surveyed know they have skills gaps.

More than a third say staff shortages are impacting productivity; 40% are experiencing an increase on staff workloads and 30% say those staff shortages are affecting growth or expansion plans.

But it revealed that more than 7 out of 10 employers would be willing to train young people to address this.

This year’s survey reached out specifically to youths for their opinions and discovered:

• Young people have a positive view of training, and say it makes them feel valued and secure, but the survey identified barriers to upskilling such as finance and direction
• 47% say they prefer to learn online rather than face to-face
• Around two-thirds are aware they need to improve their skills for the workplace but 60% haven’t been told by an employer or careers advisor where they need to improve.

Main picture, some current members of the Young Leaders Club with the CEO Jamil Shabir, second left