Seeing is Believing programme
Background
HRH The Prince of Wales's Seeing is Believing Programme was created in 1990. The programme encourages corporate leaders to leave their desks to see for themselves how business can play a role in tackling Britain’s most pressing social issues in some of the UK’s most deprived inner city and rural areas. Brakes became actively involved in the Programme in 2010.
Action
After one of the company’s senior executives visited Forest Gate Community School in the London Borough of Newham, Brakes decided to launch a joint programme with its major customer Aramark, to equip pupils with the skills to get a job after school.
The school is in an area of high unemployment and social deprivation and many of the pupils are new to the country and have either learning difficulties or physical disabilities
In late 2010, Brakes and Aramark developed a ‘Pathway to Employment’ toolkit to help students develop the skills they need to find a job. The toolkit includes advice on creating engaging CVs, preparing for job interviews, increasing business awareness and tips on providing valuable work experience opportunities. In addition, a mentoring programme was created, allowing eight pupils to receive one-to-one business mentoring from Brakes staff.
Outcome
The Forest Gate Community School project has created a template programme which Brakes plans to roll out across its business. Brakes hopes that eventually all its sites across the UK will use the ‘Pathway to Employment’ toolkit to engage with the appropriate schools in their area, enabling pupils to successfully make the transition from studying to working.
