Purple Print CIC · Milton Keynes · 16 to 30

You can't get experience without the chance to get it.

So we draw a new plan. Real problems from real employers. A team. A deadline. And proof that employers can actually see.

Register free →For employers
A young person and a mentor working on a laptop at Future Builders 2026
Fig. 1 · Future Builders 2026Sponsored by Purple Print
Real brief Launching 1 Dec 2026
The story so far

Five facts about being young and looking for work.

01 / 05981,000

young people in the UK aren't in education, employment or training. That's 13% of their age group.

That's a lot of talent sitting still.
02 / 05−49%

Starter vacancies have almost halved.

Fewer first rungs on the ladder.
03 / 051 in 3

There's now one starter job for every three young people out of work and study.

So most of them can't get in.
04 / 0536%

of employers have cut entry-level roles.

And every advert still says "experience required".
05 / 05193,000

young people have stopped waiting and work for themselves.

Some are making their own way in.
What we doSo we create the chance.

Real employer problems, real teams and real proof, right here in Milton Keynes.

See how →

Source: Sage and Cebr, "Starting Out and Starting Up", September 2026.

Two ways in

Start with a day. Stay for twelve weeks.

Young people pitchingONE DAY · SAT 27 FEB 2027

Think Like a Founder

An employer brings a real problem. Your team has one day to make a plan and pitch it to them.

Free16 to 30No experience needed
See the day →
A team working together12 WEEKS · FROM APR 2027

Work Like a Founder

Twelve weeks working in a team on a real industry problem, with all the emails, meetings, curveballs and deadlines of a real job. It counts as a T Level industry placement too.

FreeUp to 20 placesT Level route
See the 12 weeks →
Coming in 2027:🤝 Legacy FWRD
Why "Purple Print"?

There's a blueprint. It isn't the only plan.

The blueprint

Wait to be picked

  1. Get the qualification
  2. Apply everywhere
  3. Hear "experience required"
  4. Repeat
The purple print

Build your way in

  1. Take on a real problem
  2. Work it out as a team
  3. Show your working
  4. Get seen by employers
What we build

The five Cs, plus AI.

Not as words on a poster. As things you actually do. Tap one.

Where it started

Proud sponsor of Future Builders.

At MK Tech Week 2026, young people pitched ideas, worked with mentors and met employers. Organised by Female Techpreneur, sponsored by Purple Print.

Everyone at Future BuildersParticipants smilingJudges listeningA mentor helpingThe audience

Aged 16 to 30?

Register free, build your profile and get placed in a team.

Register →

Employer?

Bring a problem. Watch young people solve it. Meet them first.

See how →

Home / Think Like a Founder

One day · Saturday 27 February 2027 · Milton Keynes

Think Like a Founder.

A real problem from a real employer. Limited time, limited budget, limited options. Your team has one day to come up with a plan and pitch it to the people who own the problem.

Register free →What comes next
The day

Problem in the morning. Plan by the afternoon.

09:30

The brief

The employer explains the problem, what they've tried and what they can't change.

10:15

The team

Teams of four or five, each with a mentor. Everyone takes a role.

10:45

The digging

Ask the employer questions. Research. Use AI to go faster.

13:30

The plan

A curveball lands. Decide, cost it and build a five-minute pitch.

15:30

The pitch

Five minutes to the employer, then questions and feedback.

FreeLunch and travel help included
16 to 30No experience or qualifications needed
3 employersEach brings a real brief
VerifiedYour pitch and feedback go on your profile

AI supports. You solve.

Use AI to research, draft and mock up ideas. Judges score your thinking, your decisions and your teamwork, not how much the AI wrote.

Liked the day?

Do it for twelve weeks.

Work Like a Founder takes the same idea and turns it into real work experience.

See Work Like a Founder →

Home / Think Like a Founder / Work Like a Founder

12 weeks · 17 April to 3 July 2027 · up to 20 places

Work Like a Founder.

Your team takes on a real industry problem for twelve weeks. You'll email employers, book interviews, run meetings, handle curveballs and show your working, so you know what real work feels like before your first job.

Register interest →
What real work feels like

Nine things you'll actually do.

Getting a shadowing day is hard. So we bring the work to you. Tap any card for more.

Three months

Find your feet. Do the work. Show the work.

MONTH 01

Find your feet

Who you are

One-to-one coaching inside your group. What you're good at, and what you want.

Your story

"Tell me about yourself" in four parts: Now, Path, Proof, Next.

Get found

Profile, headshot and LinkedIn, with guest coaches.

MONTH 02

Do the work

The brief lands

Your team takes on a real employer problem. Emails, interviews, meetings.

Curveballs

Something changes every week. You decide, then defend it.

Your route

Founders shape a pitch. Job seekers do mock interviews. Creatives build a portfolio.

MONTH 03

Show the work

Feedback

From coaches, your team and the employer.

Rehearsal

Practise your pitch or interview until it sounds like you.

Showcase

Present to employers. A first-impressions fund helps with interview clothes.

The curveballs

Because real work never goes to plan.

💷

The budget's halved

£2,000 became £1,000. What goes?

⚖️

Two bosses disagree

Fast or safe? Choose, and explain why.

⏰

The deadline moves

Due a week early. Who do you tell?

🔄

New information

Pivot, or push on?

One programme, two routes

It counts as an industry placement.

T Level students (16 to 19)

Every T Level needs a 315-hour industry placement. Work Like a Founder can count towards yours, designed with your college and a host employer. Many employers aren't ready for an apprentice. This gives them a way in.

Everyone else (16 to 30)

Not on a T Level? Join anyway. You get the same real-work experience, evidence and employer contact, and a route to a job, an apprenticeship or your own business.

Points

Earn points for everything you do.

Check in at every session to make it count. Top of the leaderboard each month gets first pick of employer opportunities.

Register+10
Profile and headshot+20
Introduce yourself+10
Upload evidence+10 each
Check in to a session+15
LinkedIn post tagging team+15
Stakeholder interview+25
Pitch or showcase+50
Coming in 2027

Legacy FWRD

Young people and older care home residents learning from each other. Regular visits bring company to residents and give young people real, verified experience. In partnership with Legacy FWRD.

Showcase

Show your working.

Every team's work lives here: the brief, the research, the interviews, the curveballs, the decisions and the pitch. Employers can see how young people got to their answer, not just the answer.

These are examples to show how the Showcase will work. Real teams appear here from February 2027, with their permission.
Employer partners

Meet Milton Keynes' most motivated young people. Before anyone else does.

You don't read their CV. You watch them work on your problem, then see exactly how they did it.

1

Share a problem

Up to three real problems. We help you keep it safe to share.

2

Watch them work

Join the kick-off, a midpoint check-in and the pitch.

3

See the evidence

Showcase access: research, decisions, diaries and pitches.

4

Meet the people

Profiles of the young people who stood out, with their consent.

5

Take them on

A placement, apprenticeship or job. Grants may help.

Not ready for an apprentice?

Host a T Level student through Work Like a Founder. 315 hours, no employment contract, built around your real problem. Firms with fewer than 250 staff can claim set-up and supervision costs back through the college.

Ready to hire?

A £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant may apply when you hire an eligible 18 to 24 year old who's been looking for work for six months or more. Small employers can get £2,000 per young apprentice.

Back Think Like a Founder · 27 Feb 2027
Problem Partner
£500
  • Your problem set on the day
  • A judging seat
  • Your logo on our site
Event Partner
£1,500
  • Everything in Problem Partner
  • A named award
  • First look at profiles
  • An impact report
Headline Partner
£2,500
  • Everything in Event Partner
  • "In partnership with" naming
  • A speaking slot
Book a 20-minute call

Work with us

Register · 4 short steps · about 5 minutes

Your next step starts here.

Tell us about you, what you're into and upload what you've got. We'll place you in the right team.

Step 1 of 4

About you

Step 2 of 4

What you're into

Step 3 of 4

Upload what you've got

Tap to add your CV
Tap to add a photo
Tap to add files. Everything counts.
Step 4 of 4

Last few things

You're in

Welcome to Purple Print.

?

Name

YOUR TEAM

Team

INTERESTS

EVIDENCE

YOUR POINTS

0

    This is a preview. Nothing you entered has left your device. When registration opens, this form will save your details securely.