One of the four pillars of our ESG strategy is 'Empowering Communities'. In a world of increasing inequality, we believe that helping to improve social mobility is hugely important and it forms a key part of this strategic pillar.
A first focus of our working group was to look at how best we could connect with under-represented or less-privileged individuals in our neighbouring West London, and work with them to support their development and help them find meaningful careers. As a business that exists to connect people and drive game-changing impact, we were keen to extend this ethos into our local community to do some good.
We quickly realised that partnering would be the best option. We looked at several options and eventually decided to partner with Making the Leap, a grassroots, black-led organisation with over 28 years of experience delivering essential skills training to nearly 70,000 young people in London. Their aim is “to transform the futures of disadvantaged young people in the UK by providing training to raise their aspirations and develop their skills, confidence and outlook to choose and succeed in a career.”
So far, we have already attended an amazing careers fair, where we connected with more than 200 talented individuals, some of whom we're in talks with over some of our open vacancies.
Next, we're working on a programme of events and initiatives including insight days, where a group of local school children will visit our office to learn about our industry and business, and mock interview sessions at local schools.
We’re looking forward to offering colleagues the chance to drive positive change in our local community and to further supporting Making the Leap’s mission.
