Over 1,900 local people have walked through the doors of the Careers Café in its first year, finding advice, opportunities and a friendly face when they needed it most.
A year after opening in Freshney Place in October 2025, the café has become a place where local people can find advice, build confidence and explore what comes next in their working lives.
Created through a partnership between Taking Action Raising Grimsby’s Emerging Talents (TARGET NEL CIC) and North East Lincolnshire Council’s Adult Careers Team, the café was designed to bring careers advice and wider support right into the heart of Grimsby town centre – and one year on, local people have made the most of what it has to offer.
For some, that might mean help with a job application or learning new digital skills. For others, it can mean having someone to talk to about childcare, confidence, changing career direction or getting back into work after time away.
Stories from the last twelve month show the transformative impact of the café:
After speaking to her Work Coach at Grimsby Jobcentre Plus, V was encouraged to visit the Youth Hub at the Careers Café. There, she met the council’s Adult Careers Team, who helped her take the next step by joining their free careerShift BOOST programme.
V, who has now found employment, said: “I’d 100% recommend the Careers Café to anyone who’s looking for work. The team are so welcoming and make you feel comfortable asking questions, no matter how big or small.”
The Youth Hub, which supports young people aged 18 to 25 who want to move into work, training or further opportunities, is the first of its kind in the Yorkshire and Humber region. It brings support together in one place, helping young people take practical steps towards their goals.
The team at the Careers Café has also helped people explore completely new careers.
The café’s 1000th guest, Jamie Hodds, visited after facing reduced hours at work and wanting to explore a new direction. “I came to the Careers Café to see what training or opportunities were available in youth work, because I want to help people in the community and inspire the younger generation to have a positive future.”
After meeting with staff, Jamie was offered the opportunity to complete the Train 2 Employ programme with TARGET NEL CIC. He has now found permanent employment with them as a SEND Support Worker.
For others, a visit has simply helped them see possibilities they had not considered before.
One visitor said: “If it wasn’t for you, I would have still been going around in circles, but you helped me to focus on what I needed to do and I am starting a teaching assistant course.”
“It really opened my eyes to other avenues. It has shown me I really have a good chance in the services that I want to get involved in,” another added.
While careers advice is at the heart of the café, the space has grown into much more than that.
Local organisations, groups and services regularly attend the café, helping visitors tackle some of the wider barriers that can make it harder to move into work or training.
Over the past year, the café has hosted a wide range of programmes, events and activities, including support for new businesses, volunteering opportunities, SEND support and clean energy careers.
With more events and opportunities planned, the café continues to be a place where people can find the right support, whatever their starting point.
Wendy Trask, Operations Manager for Employability at North East Lincolnshire Council, looked back on the past year at the café. She said: “The Careers Café is all about meeting people where they are and helping them take their next step. Not everyone knows exactly what they want to do next, and sometimes people just need someone to listen, talk things through and help them see what is possible.
“Over 1,900 visits in our first year shows just how much local people value having this kind of support right in the heart of the town centre. We are incredibly proud of what the team and our partners have achieved together, and we are looking forward to helping even more people over the coming year.”
Joanne Lord, Founder and Managing Director of TARGET NEL CIC, said: “When TARGET first became involved with the Careers Café, we knew it could become a valuable community space, but we didn’t realise just how much impact it would have. Over the past year, we have seen it become a place that people recognise, feel comfortable entering and, importantly, feel they belong. It has become much more than a café – it is a place to connect, learn, build confidence and explore opportunities.
“We started this journey unsure of the impact the space would have. A year on, it has become an important part of our community and our work at TARGET NEL.”
Councillor Samuel Grice, Deputy Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council and Portfolio Holder for Children and Education, praised the partnership work at the café over the past twelve months: “The success of the Careers Café shows what can be achieved when local organisations work together with a shared ambition to help people succeed.
“Almost 2,000 visits in the first year is a fantastic achievement, and behind that number are hundreds of individual stories of people building confidence, learning new skills and taking steps towards a better future. I would like to thank everyone involved in making the Careers Café such a success and look forward to seeing it continue to grow.”
The Careers Café is based in Freshney Place, opposite Next, and is open Monday to Friday.
For more information about adult learning in North East Lincolnshire, including upcoming events, training and local providers, visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/adult-education-and-learning.
For more information about TARGET NEL and its programmes, visit targetnel.co.uk or email [email protected].
For general careers advice and support, contact North East Lincolnshire Council’s Adult Careers Team at [email protected] or complete the form for a call back: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/6WsvPasQPb.
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