New report reveals Futures creating an estimated £60 million of social value across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire

For every £1 invested in Futures’ services this year, between £6.60 and £13.25 of social value was generated for local communities.

Behind that figure are 12,782 people – 7,261 of them facing significant barriers to employment or learning – each with a story of confidence rebuilt, barriers overcome and futures changed.

Futures’ Social Value Report for 2025–2026 captures the full scale of that impact, telling the story not just through employment figures but through the lives of young people who are NEET, adults facing complex barriers and everyone in between.

The report’s most important finding, however, may not be the headline figure at all.

Of the customers surveyed, 55.9% reported improved confidence and self-esteem, while more than half said they felt listened to and understood and nearly half mentioned having greater hope and optimism. These are not by-products of employment support – they are outcomes in their own right and the report recognises them as such.

For many of the people Futures works with, the journey to work or learning begins long before a CV is written or an application is submitted. It begins with believing that progress is possible.

That belief is not easily measured but Futures and its evaluation partners at Kai-zen have worked hard to capture it. Using Social Return on Investment methodology – which translates the difference made in people’s lives into a financial value – the report accounts for employment and economic benefits alongside confidence, wellbeing and belonging.

The result is a picture of impact that is both more honest and more compelling than employment figures alone.