The Cimpress-owned outfit, the only printing company to have a national partnership with the Trust, will be supporting the programme, which gives unemployed young people access to workshops, start-up loans and mentoring, with donations over a three-year period, along with providing a variety of activities for participants in the programme.
Vistaprint will also provide more than 200 young entrepreneurs in southern England that have been selected for the Trust’s 'Will it Work' grant with a free set of business cards, along with providing free marketing materials to Tomorrow’s Store, the Trust’s shop that showcases products from young entrepreneurs. A small, core team from Vistaprint is driving the strategy and logistical elements of the partnership, while all employees are being encouraged to get involved.
Head of Vistaprint UK Oliver Harcourt said the company had approached The Prince’s Trust around a year ago after being struck by the inspirational stories shared about young people starting a business through the Enterprise Programme.
“Everyone is really excited to be working with The Prince’s Trust. As a company dedicated to supporting micro and small businesses, we share their vision that everyone should have the opportunity to become a business owner,” said Harcourt.
“From day one, Vistaprint has existed to enable small and micro business owners to succeed, so working with The Prince’s Trust to support the next generation is a very natural extension of that mission.”
Research published in The Prince’s Trust’s The Trust in Business report for 2016 found the three-year survival rate of businesses supported by the Trust to be 72.5%, more than 10% higher than the national average. It also said that 83% of young people that graduate the programme go into employment, education or training once finished.
The Trust's South of England director Dermot Finch said he was delighted to have support from Vistaprint, “to tap into their experience of working with SMEs in the UK”.
“Our recent Macquarie Youth Index report showed that one third of young people do not feel in control of their lives, and 42% feel like goals such as owning a house are unrealistic,” he said.
“Starting their own business can help many young people take control and change their lives.”
Harcourt added that Vistaprint is involved with a number of charitable endeavours, partnering with a number of local charities that reside near its London office, and a team are taking part in the Palace to Palace sponsored bike ride from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle for The Prince’s Trust in October.
