About Skills Shape

Skills Shape exists to help people who feel stuck, unsure, or lacking confidence about what comes next in relation to employment and progression.


Individuals don’t lack ability, they just haven’t had the right support, structure, tools or opportunity to explore what’s possible.

The Skills Shape Approach

The skills shape approach is simple and practical.

It focuses on:

  • Building confidence

  • Creating clarity and direction

  • Providing tools that actually help people take action

This isn’t about generic advice.

It’s about working with individuals to:

  • Understand where they are now

  • Explore what’s possible

  • Equip people with the tools to take realistic steps forward

Your Coach - Paul Baxter

  • 15 years working with Young People

  • Managed multiple employability contracts

  • Designed a range of employability programmes and sessions

  • 8 Years at Real Ideas, delivering Talent Match, Gamechanger, Compass and YEP employability programmes.

  • 7 years supporting young people at Doorway Charity promoting independent living skills, set up and delivered Job Wise employability programme.

  • Level 3 Information Advice and Guidance

  • Level 5 CIH Supporting Vulnerable People

  • Level 5 Leadership and Management

  • Full DBS

Why Skills Shape

Skills Shape brings together everything I’ve learned into a structured, coaching-led approach to employability support.

It’s for people who:

  • Feel stuck or unsure about what’s next

  • Lack confidence in themselves or the job market

  • Want to move forward but don’t know how

The focus is always the same:

Build confidence
Create direction and introduce employability tools
Take real steps forward

Experience

Over the past 16 years, I’ve worked across housing support, employability programmes, and community initiatives, supporting young people and adults facing a wide range of employability challenges.

I’ve:

  • Delivered hundreds of hours of 1:1 employability and group sessions

  • Designed and led employability programmes

  • Supported individuals into work, education, and training

  • Worked with people facing homelessness, mental health challenges, and long-term unemployment

  • Built relationships with organisations and employers to create real opportunities for young people

Most recently, I led employability and digital skills programmes at Liskeard Library for Real Ideas, supporting young people aged 16–25 to build confidence, develop skills, and move forward.

I have implemented and developed my employability support and programme design within a range of national government-funded programmes such as the YEP programme, Compass, Game Changer and Talent Match Youth Employment programmes, as well as delivering employability support for DWP.

Contact Us

Got a question?
Ready to take the next step?
Want to find out more?


Whether you are a young adult, parent/carer or organisation, get in touch, and we’ll respond as soon as possible.

You can also book a free no obligation call below or take the Future Ready Quiz.