No. You don’t need prior experience running placements, formal training structures, or dedicated HR capacity. Many of the organisations we work with are small businesses, charities or sole traders who simply have a practical piece of work they want to get done.

Revive Croydon CIC was founded by specialists in education and employability, and all placements are coordinated and supported by DBS-checked staff. We carry out the necessary risk assessments and cover placements through our own Employer’s Liability and Public Liability insurance.

Delivery is supported in collaboration with local colleges and sixth forms, and we handle scoping, matching, coordination and day-to-day support. This keeps the responsibilities placed on partner organisations clear, proportionate and manageable, allowing you to focus on defining the outcome you want and providing light-touch input where needed.

Partner organisations are not expected to manage placements day to day or provide formal training. Instead, involvement is focused on helping define a clear project brief at the outset and offering light-touch input during delivery where needed.

We ask that partner organisations share a commitment to improving Croydon’s public-facing places and take a patient, supportive approach when working with young people who may be early in their careers. Where participants perform particularly well, we also encourage organisations to be open to providing references and, where appropriate, considering future opportunities or roles.

We are a small, not-for-profit organisation, and projects involve some basic costs to deliver properly. Our aim is to keep participation accessible, particularly for small and local organisations, and there is no standard fee to take part.

In many cases, this simply means covering direct project costs such as materials, access or other necessary expenses, which are agreed openly in advance. Because projects are delivered on a not-for-profit basis and supported through partnerships with colleges and sixth forms, this is usually significantly cheaper than commissioning equivalent work commercially.

Where funding is available, we may be able to cover some or all of these costs ourselves. Any financial expectations are discussed clearly at the outset, before a project is agreed.

We’re careful to take on projects where the scope, responsibilities and outcomes are clear from the start. This allows placements to be well supported and focused on delivering something useful within a defined timeframe.

Our approach is designed for discrete, time-limited pieces of work rather than ongoing roles or open-ended support. Projects also need to be appropriate for young people early in their careers and capable of being delivered safely and responsibly within the structure of a short placement.

Where something isn’t the right fit, we’ll be open about that early on. Being clear at the outset helps ensure that projects are worthwhile for young people and genuinely useful for partner organisations.

We work across the entire London Borough of Croydon. Projects can take place anywhere within the borough and should have a clear, visible connection to Croydon’s public realm, businesses or communities.

We also recognise that Croydon’s economy, identity and day-to-day life extend beyond its administrative boundary. Where there is a strong and obvious connection, we’re open to working on projects in closely linked areas — for example the wider Crystal Palace area, or parts of Purley Way that sit just outside the borough but are functionally tied to Croydon.

What matters most is that the work has a meaningful relationship to Croydon and contributes to improving the places and spaces that shape how the borough is experienced.