Next Step Transitions Navigator Programme

Next Step Transitions CIC

Think Human Fund

Mission & History

Founded in 2021, Next Step Transitions CIC was established to address gaps in support for young autistic individuals transitioning to further education, training, or employment. With a specific focus on Northern Ireland, where autism prevalence is notably high, the organization provides tailored support and has expanded to meet increasing demand. Collaborating with families, schools, and businesses, Next Step Transitions CIC aims to enhance outcomes for autistic individuals.

Next Step Transitions CIC is dedicated to ensuring smooth transitions for autistic children into education, training, or employment by providing personalized support. The organization’s goal is to help autistic individuals reach their full potential and contribute to society through customized services, advocacy, and collaboration with families, institutions, and employers. By using models like PACTS, Next Step Transitions works to improve educational and employment outcomes, reduce dropout rates, and enhance overall wellbeing.

Country Information

In Northern Ireland, the prevalence of autism is significantly higher than in the rest of the UK and Ireland—1 in 20 compared to 1 in 100 in England and 1 in 65 in Ireland. This high prevalence impacts individuals’ futures and the broader economy. Autistic individuals face substantial employment challenges, with only 21% in full-time jobs, which affects their mental health and contributes to the highest suicide rates among minority groups. Many young autistic individuals struggle with unmet potential, making support crucial for improving their employment prospects and addressing these negative statistics.

The Need in 2026

Young autistic individuals and their families continue to face significant challenges during transitions to higher education, vocational training, or employment. Traditional support systems remain insufficient, often failing to accommodate the unique barriers faced by autistic individuals, such as heightened anxiety, sensory sensitivities, and rigid routines. Without personalized, spectrum-aware approaches, these transitions often lead to high dropout rates, diminished self-esteem, and lost opportunities. Furthermore, the lack of appropriate support exacerbates mental health risks, including elevated suicide rates. Persistent stigma and the misconception that autism is uniform rather than diverse discourage many autistic young people from seeking the help they need, underscoring the urgent need for tailored, inclusive, and sustainable solutions.

The Project We Fund

Next Step Transitions remains committed to supporting autistic young people as they transition into education, training, or employment. The project provides personalized assistance tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual, recognizing the diversity of challenges within the autism spectrum. It offers life skills workshops on practical topics such as cooking, money management, and independent living, equipping participants with essential tools for success. Mental wellbeing is a core focus, with dedicated wellbeing sessions and counseling to address anxiety and promote emotional resilience.

The program also collaborates with businesses to create diverse hiring opportunities and provide meaningful work experiences, fostering inclusion in the workplace. By continuing to implement the PACTS (Parents and Carers as Transition Support) model, the project aims to further reduce dropout rates, improve employment outcomes, and enhance mental wellbeing, ensuring that autistic young people and their families receive the comprehensive support they need to thrive.

The Result

The impact is continuously assessed through a variety of methods to ensure its effectiveness and adaptability. Participant evaluations are conducted after workshops and upon program completion, providing valuable insights into their experiences and outcomes. Regular communication is maintained through check-ins with participants and their parents or carers, ensuring the program aligns with their evolving needs.

Testimonials from parents, carers, and schools offer qualitative feedback on the program’s impact, further highlighting areas for improvement and success. Additionally, annual follow-ups with past participants allow the team to track long-term progress, monitor current status, and measure sustained benefits, ensuring the program continues to deliver meaningful and lasting support.

The Need in 2024

Young autistic people and their families face well-documented challenges during transitions to higher education, training, or employment. Current support is inadequate, with each autistic person experiencing unique barriers such as anxiety, sensory sensitivities, and rigid routines. These challenges are often not addressed by a one-size-fits-all approach, leading to high dropout rates, loss of confidence, and missed opportunities. Inadequate support can exacerbate mental health issues and increase suicide rates. The lack of understanding that autism is a spectrum contributes to inconsistent treatment and stigma, causing many young autistic people to withdraw rather than seek the help they need.

The Project We Fund

Next Step Transitions provides comprehensive support to help autistic children transition smoothly to education, training, or employment. Key components of the project include personalized transition support by tailored assistance to meet individual needs. Workshops through life skills covering topics like cooking and money management. Wellbeing sessions and counseling by supporting to enhance mental wellbeing.
Business collaboration by partnering with businesses to offer diverse hiring opportunities and work experience.

The organization utilizes the PACTS (Parents and Carers as Transition Support) model to reduce dropout rates, improve job outcomes, and enhance mental wellbeing.

The Result

Impact is assessed through multiple methods. Evaluations by participants completing evaluations after workshops and at program completion. Communication by regular check-ins with participants and their parents/carers to ensure the program meets their needs.
Testimonials by feedback from parents, carers, and schools about the program’s impact. Annual follow-ups by ongoing assessments with past participants to track progress and current status.

2025 Annual Report

The program facilitated seamless transitions for autistic youths aged 11-19 into education, training, or employment. It achieved 100% success in helping 140 students settle into their next stages, significantly reducing anxiety and improving outcomes to those transitioning from primary to secondary schools, further education, or universities.

Testimonies

“My son has diagnoses of Asperger’s Syndrome and Dyslexia and has received learning support throughout school, which allowed him to thrive academically. As he prepared for university, I was very concerned about how he would cope without this level of support. Mr. Joe Martin from Next Step Transitions spoke with my son at school about the help available and later met with us to discuss his options. Joe has been exceptional, going above and beyond to make what could have been an overwhelming process far more manageable. Change can be extremely difficult for individuals with autism, but Joe’s guidance, preparation for meetings, and extensive knowledge of available support made a significant difference. I would highly recommend Next Step Transitions to any parent in a similar situation—having Joe involved truly makes all the difference.”

“I would like to say how grateful we are for Joe Martin’s assistance with our son Jamie’s transition to university. His input has been invaluable and he has helped guide us through the process involved. Due to his assistance Jamie is getting the help required for navigating university. This is an absolutely fantastic service for any student on the spectrum starting university.”

“On the advice of Autism Ni I contacted Joe Martin as we was struggling to decide on the future pathway for my 16-year old grandson as he was leaving the SEN department of  his Secondary School and we didn’t know where to turn to for advice.  From the moment I spoke to him I felt a sense of relief as he was so knowledgeable and I knew that we were in safe hands. Joe emailed me with a list of all options available and when we decided to apply to Newtownabbey NRC he arranged for us to visit their careers advisor. Joe has been in constant contact with both the College and ourselves for several weeks so that we knew what was happening at all times and felt fully supported. I  don’t know how we would have managed without him, he is fantastic.”

2025 Midterm Report

Next Step Transitions CIC project outlines significant impacts and achievements. The program has directly benefited 50 individuals, and indirectly aided 100 more, including students receiving transition support and their parents who have found reduced anxiety through guidance. The gender breakdown of direct beneficiaries includes 20 females and 30 males, primarily aged between 13-18.

The project has successfully implemented one-on-one and workshop-based support for youths transitioning to further education or employment. An additional initiative for primary school transitions was introduced, impacting several 11-year-olds moving to secondary school.

Testimonies reveal profound personal impacts, such as families finding invaluable support in transition processes and individuals, including those with autism, successfully shifting to desired educational paths. Moreover, beneficiaries have shown improved skills in stress management, resilience, and self-awareness.

Testimonies

“We can’t thank Next Step Transitions enough, as a family they have been so dedicated to helping us as well as my son explore his options and make the transition to College. You will never know what you have done for us as a family. Nothing was ever to much trouble, you made us feel we had so much support and help with you, we really don’t know how to thank you. Next Step Transitions is a great organization with wonderful people.”

“My autistic daughter had to change university courses and go through clearing late on in the process and this seemed like an impossible task, but Next Step Transitions came to the rescue and kept us right. I only wish that every Grammar/Secondary school in NI were aware of such an informative service and were able to make parents aware of their existence. I highly recommend this service to all schools, parents, carers and most importantly the young person needs their assistance.”

“As a mother of an autistic son with extreme anxiety who rarely left his house and had no friends! I cannot express how grateful we are to Next Step Transitions for their outstanding support through our next chapter in life. They helped so much and advocated on our behalf helping my son secure a place in Vocational training and made sure he had the support that he needed.”

The Need

The deficiency of environmental education for young people in regions like the Seoul metropolitan area, where there are high levels of air pollution and energy consumption. Despite these challenges, students have limited exposure to climate education. This lack of education jeopardizes youths’ health, awareness, and capacity to address the climate crisis effectively.

The Project We Fund

The project targets the critical need for climate and energy education among youth in high-risk areas such as the Seoul metropolitan region, where energy consumption and air pollution are among the highest. It provides hands-on, Ministry-certified environmental education to middle schools, enabling students to grasp climate issues and make impactful changes in their lives. The initiative delivers a certified four-session curriculum to middle schools in Seoul, focusing on the energy and climate crisis, systems thinking through games and simulations, fine dust and energy efficiency, and sustainable lifestyles, alongside student-led actions.

Students engage in practical activities like designing eco-friendly schools, monitoring air quality, and planning actions. Trained Concentrix volunteers are mobilized as co-facilitators to assist in classroom activities and mentor students. Behavioral changes are tracked via a mobile app where students record real-life sustainable actions, such as reducing energy consumption, with monitored activities earning them points.

Additionally, the program encourages community involvement by prompting students to propose sustainability projects for their schools, such as recycling initiatives or reducing single-use items.

The Result

To track impact, first, they administer post-program surveys to students to assess their satisfaction, shifts in environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as their eagerness to persist in sustainable practices. Second, during the “Eco-School Design” session, students propose tangible improvements for their schools—like recycling campaigns or school gardens—illustrating the program’s impact on their surroundings. Finally, they utilize a mobile app where students upload photos or videos of their eco-friendly activities. These actions are verified and rewarded with points, enabling us to track continuous engagement and the lasting nature of their behavioral changes.