THE NATIONAL CITIZEN Service (NCS) is a government initiative that enables social integration and engagement among young people. New entry The Challenge is England's largest NCS provider. In 2009, the year it was set up, the charitable trust ran a scheme for 150 teenagers; last year, 14,500 went on its courses. The kitchen-table start-up with five employees now has a south London headquarters and 234 people on the payroll. With more than 90% of workers under 35 years old, having a good time is high on the agenda and people say their colleagues are fun (89% positive, ranking third on the small list). www.the-challenge.org
