Our partnership with The King’s Trust

Since 2013, TK Maxx and Homesense have partnered with The King’s Trust to support young people facing adversity, helping over 15,500 build confidence, develop vital skills and access education, training and career opportunities.

What began as a single employability programme has grown into a wide-ranging partnership that supports young people from education through to employment, powered by customer and associate fundraising alongside employability programmes that help unlock potential and remove barriers to employment.

Together with The King’s Trust, we help raise aspirations, create clear pathways into work and support young people to shape brighter futures and realise their potential.

The King’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards

As part of our ongoing commitment to support young people, TK Maxx and Homesense have been proud headline sponsors of awards since 2016.

The Awards celebrate the successes and inspirational stories of young people who have been supported by The King’s Trust, highlighting the impact of the Trust’s work in helping them build confidence, gain vital skills and progress into employment, education, training or even entrepreneurship. Many of the winners have overcome significant barriers in their lives, transforming their futures through resilience, determination and the right support. Their achievements not only change their own lives but also inspire their peers and communities.

We also sponsor the Homesense Young Achiever Award, which recognises a young person who has overcome substantial barriers to grow their confidence and transform their life.

Helping young people thrive through fundraising

Since 2016, together with our customers, TK Maxx and Homesense have raised £4.1m for The King’s Trust, which has helped support over 14,200 young people across the Achieve and Foundations for Work programmes, plus the Change A Girl’s Life campaign. The King’s Trust Achieve and Foundations for Work programmes are designed to support young people through education and into employment, by empowering them with skills, confidence and experience. We also support the Change A Girl’s Life campaign, which helps young women facing hardship to build the future they deserve by providing access to job opportunities, confidence-building programmes and practical tools.

Look out for opportunities to support in store throughout the year, like donating at the till, picking up a charity bag for life or shopping our charity range, where at least 30% of the sale price will be donated to The King’s Trust.

Patrick's story

Growing up in Belfast, Patrick faced significant challenges at home and in school, and his attendance began to slip. At age 12, he joined the Pathways Project, an alternative education programme for young people at risk of exclusion. With support from his mentor, Glen, he enrolled in The King’s Trust Achieve programme and quickly began to rebuild his confidence.

“The King’s Trust Achieve programme changed my life. It kept me engaged and focused enough to continue my education; despite the challenges I faced.”

Patrick went on to achieve 100% attendance, completing GCSEs in History, Maths and English, plus a King’s Trust qualification equivalent to four GCSEs. He also gained an Irish qualification through a partner school. These achievements enabled him to progress to A Levels and later to university.

Now 20, Patrick is studying Politics and International Studies and is passionate about supporting young people who are struggling in education.

“If you’d told me in my teens that I could achieve this, I wouldn’t have believed you! I’m still involved with the Pathways Project, now as a part-time tutor on the Achieve programme.”

Helping young people build bright futures

Through our employability programmes, we’re proud to have supported over 2,500 young people on their journey into work. Delivered in partnership with The King’s Trust, our Get Into programmes offer hands on experience across key areas of our business, including Retail, Loss Prevention, Distribution and Buying.

Designed for young people aged 16 to 30, these programmes provide practical training, personal development and real employment opportunities to help participants build skills and confidence for a brighter future.

The impact extends well beyond the programme itself – over 80% of those who successfully complete a Get Into programme go on to get a job with us, and some continuing their learning through apprenticeships.

Supporting young entrepreneurs

In partnership with The King’s Trust, we deliver a short educational and development programme designed for young entrepreneurs with retail ready products, helping them build confidence, develop their skills and grow their commercial understanding through workshops and buying opportunities.
As part of the experience, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to pitch their products to a panel of our Buyers. This not only provides valuable, practical feedback but also offers a real commercial opportunity, with the potential for selected products to be sold in our stores or online.

A young person who attended the Enterprise programme shared: “The buying workshop was excellent. I gained valuable insights into the buyers' perspective and learned how they approach decision-making. It also highlighted the importance of building strong relationships, which I now see as a key foundation for successful partnerships.”