The royal was joined by BBC’s Dragon’s Den star Steven Bartlett, for the Project Flourish session in Aberdeen.
The initiative, created by youth homelessness campaign EveryYouth and recruitment company Hays, aims to help young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness into meaningful employment.
“The Prince took part in a workshop with young people and discussed the direction of Project Flourish, and how it could best help them,” said EveryYouth of the event, held at Aberdeen Foyer, one of its 16 youth homelessness member charities.
Under the scheme, young people who secure roles are provided with financial support for the transition to employment and independent living, with funding to cover up to £2,050 of expenses such as travel and food.
Project Flourish has a live pipeline of 70 jobs and 13 pilots are taking place in Bristol, Kent, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, London, Leicester, and Reading, said EveryYouth.
The charity added that the project has generated more than £162,641 in social value.
Participating employers are required to take part in PIE (psychologically informed environment), awareness sessions to make sure their workplace becomes “one where a young person can thrive”, it said.
The Crisis Homelessness Alliance has helped the initiative – being rolled out in partnership with The Royal Foundation’s Homewards Fund – to connect with employers including Specsavers, Thames Water and Watches of Switzerland.
Prince William and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales launched Homewards in 2023 as a five-year, locally led programme aiming to render homelessness “rare, brief and unrepeated”.
