Case Studies / Outward Bound Trust
Outward Bound Trust
Navigating priorities at a pivotal moment for Britain’s adventure education charity.
Taskscape provided consultancy to the Outward Bound Trust as it rationalised its estate and operations during a key anniversary year, addressing long-standing tensions around staffing, career progression, seasonality and external marketing.
Brief
The Outward Bound Trust is one of the UK’s leading outdoor education charities, running residential adventure courses for young people from centres across Britain. At the time of Taskscape’s involvement, the organisation faced several overlapping tensions. Hands-on instructors aged out of front-line roles but had few management positions to move into, creating career dead-ends, talent drain and institutional knowledge loss. Seasonal demand clashed with year-round staffing needs, while the Trust also had to sell its offer as exciting and adventurous, while rigorously managing risk. In a key anniversary year, the organisation felt overextended and wanted to rationalise its estate, teams and communications.
Activity
- Conducted a cultural audit through interviews and workshops with staff across the organisation
- Mapped competing tensions: career progression, talent retention, seasonal staffing, risk perceptions and communication
- Delivered reports and presentations to leadership
Outcomes
- Informed a broad reimagining and rationalisation of the Trust’s estate, staffing model, training, recruitment, internal communications and external marketing
