The Prince’s Trust has launched a new online platform to help vulnerable young people access its services.

The charity said the portal would allow young people to benefit from its programmes even if they were unable to attend in person because of where they lived or the nature of their personal circumstances: those living in rural areas, for example, making travel to a Prince’s Trust delivery centre difficult, or those whose lifestyles made it hard to access programmes, such as single parents and young carers. The charity said it would also enable them to complete their programmes at a pace and time that would fit in with their other commitments. A group of such people were involved in road-testing the platform.

Prince’s Trust Online is a key part of the charity’s aim of supporting a million more young people over the next 10 years. The new platform, which is supported by founding patrons Nominet and NatWest and the content sponsor L’Oreal Paris, means the trust’s programmes can be accessed by smartphone, tablets and computers.

The new platform was unveiled at London Tech Week’s TechXLR8 this week. A digital version of the Prince’s Trust’s enterprise programme, designed to help young entrepreneurs develop their ideas into businesses, was also launched. Prince’s Trust Online mirrors the enterprise programme by providing and combining e-learning modules with an e-mentoring service.

A speaker at the event was Duane Jackson, who was supported by the trust to found a tech business after spending time in prison. He has since sold the business and become a member of the trust’s Enterprise Fellowship.

David Ivell, the trust’s chief information officer, said: “With the launch of Prince’s Trust Online we will be able to support more young people than ever and, perhaps most importantly, break down barriers that have previously prevented us reaching those who may have the most to gain from one of our programmes.”