The Hg Foundation has partnered with JINC, the largest social mobility-focused charity in The Netherlands, for a two-year partnership targeted at students in vocational and pre-vocational schools and exposing them to careers in technology.

Founded in 2003, JINC works collectively with schools and employers to improve students’ social skills and provide career guidance, boosting prospects for young people from socioeconomic disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Young individuals that grow up in an environment with poverty are often missing role models and guidance when it comes to their education and future work. This hinders their ability to make good choices for their future. In impoverished neighbourhoods in the Netherlands, we see higher levels of under-advisement, higher school dropout rates, and unemployment levels that are two to three times higher than the national average. This translates into a disconnection from the labour market that JINC and The Hg Foundation can help improve through this partnership.

In 2022 JINC supported 78,000 students across 509 schools through partnerships with over 850 companies. JINC’s current programmes mainly focus on ages between 8 and 16 years old. The partnership from The Hg Foundation will enable an expansion to this offering. It will focus on young people in vocational and pre-vocational school, typically 16 years and over, with initiatives such as flash internships and career coaching. This will initially open up JINC’s programmes to around 1,500 additional students, across up to four cities in the Netherlands.

The Hg Foundation will also aim to provide access and participation for internships and coaching across several businesses in the Benelux region, all backed by Hg as well as supporting an evaluation of the programme’s impact.