8 minute read
Skills & Training
Kickstart Success Story
The Government launched the Kickstart scheme back in September 2020, to help young people to get into work. The scheme provided funding to employers to create new six-month job placements for young people, aged 16-24, who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. The scheme ended in March 2022, with the final payments being made to the young people in September 2022.
Back in September 2020, there was little information about the scheme. Initiatives of this size usually take the DWP 18-24 months to implement, the KS scheme was up and running within six months! So, there were initial teething problems.
Hounslow Chamber heard of the scheme, and we applied to be a Gateway organisation, enabling us to help the smaller companies, who wanted just a small number of KS young people. Those businesses who wanted more than 30 Kickstarters could apply directly to DWP. We were very proud to be amongst just a handful of London Chambers to be approved.
Initially, the scheme was onerous but as it progressed and both DWP and Gateways began to understand it better, it worked well.
Through working with the scheme, we built relationships with our local DWP personnel, and also many companies across London. A business could use any Gateway, there was no compulsion to use the one closest to you. One of our most successful companies was Heartbeat in Camberwell, who we went to visit in the summer of 2021.
Hounslow Chamber has placed just under 250 young people into work with 54 companies, ranging from roles in social media to visitor assistants for Paws in Work, puppy therapy specialists. Their sessions provide a chance to ‘switch off’ from mental stressors.
Hounslow Chamber itself has taken on two Kickstarters. Ina Morisson is a graduate from Brunel University with a firstclass honours degree in Business Management. Ina started with us in November 2021 and owing to severe illness within the Chamber management team, she had to learn very quickly. Ina is now employed full-time by the Chamber as Project Lead Manager.
Ina says: “During Covid it was extremely difficult for graduates to be placed into work as times were very uncertain, the Kickstart scheme completely changed my life around and I was able to progress from an intern to a manager within months. I am so appreciative of the scheme, and so grateful to have been placed with such an amazing employer. I am constantly developing, learning from fantastic role models and have been able to kickstart my career!”
We also have Abdi Yussuf with us, who is learning a great deal about office administration/business management. Abdi, who is caring for his grandmother, hopes to restart his studies at the end of his time with us. During his time with us, Abdi is becoming proficient in CRM & data management, and we see his increase in confidence growing day by day. We will follow his progress closely.
AV Rentals was one of our earlier companies and in August 2021 they offered a permanent role to one of their Kickstarters. In the words of Andy Horn from AV Rentals:
“As with any scheme introduced at pace, we were expecting it to be a slow process, however this was not the case. After initial conversations and support from Hounslow Chamber of Commerce on how the process worked, we were quickly receiving numerous applicants for both the roles we were advertising. From the interviews we held in February 2021 I was delighted to be able to offer a junior technician role to Kalai Sivayokarajah starting March 1st. Kalai showed us from day one a desire to work hard and learn, becoming a valuable member of the technical team, as such we have just offered Kalai a full-time role and he has accepted! It is so pleasing to see this scheme go full circle, with both the business and Kalai benefitting, it works, as such we have just applied for a further two kickstarters. Our thanks to DWP and HCC for both the scheme and support from start to finish.”
Another of our Kickstart young people was placed with DQS, a certification and audit company, and Fahad was offered a fulltime position, responsible for business development and digital marketing, when his KS term ended. In his words:
“Working with DQS has given me a new perspective when it comes to my career. It is an opportunity which I am grateful for as I have learnt many new skills and tried new things which I would not have before. I consider myself lucky to be able to work with and see Dimple and my co-workers each day, as they are an amazing group of people that I now cannot imagine life without.”
Dimple Matharoo, director of DQS, was also impressed with the scheme:
All the hard work was worth it - it is gratifying that we have helped so many young people on their career path.
Empowering the leader in you!
B’ Empowered A1 provides leadership development and public speaking services. It affords leaders, bosses and aspirants the opportunity to become more confident, productive and profitable through developing their communication and leadership skills; and those of their workforce. This it does through three main platforms, namely, Inspirational Leadership Speaking (keynote), Public Speaker Mentoring & Leadership Mentoring to include team development. The director and Chamber member Claudia Welsh, also interviews leaders on her radio show called “Let’s Talk Business Adventist Radio London.”
To find out more do visit https://bempowereda1.com/ Do feel free to book a 30 minutes consultation. We would love to hear from you. B’ Empowered A1 where your success is my motivation!
Events:
All training events can be found on B’ Empowered A1 Events page in the link below https://bempowereda1.com/events/
1. September 22, 2022: “Conversations of Leaders”
A training day aimed at leaders who recognise that their communication style may be a barrier for them effectively communication with their team and fellow colleagues.
Bosses/managers who have inherited a new team or observe that the changes in the team dynamic within the business, and wishes to better navigate this through effective communication. The training event is also for those who wishes to increase productivity and profitability through improved work culture. Conversation of Leaders refer to communication that will build teams, productive and profitable work cultures and solid reputations.
2. October 27,2022: “Meeting Talks,” is a training event which addresses conversation etiquettes and presentation styles in group arenas such as the board rooms, staff meetings, hustings, networking groups, forums, panels and seminars, debates and interviews. It will help you lead a successfully lead and manage group meetings, increase the professionalism, productivity and profitability of the meetings, and improve your public speaking skills.
3. November 24, 2022: “The Art & Power of Silence in
Leadership,” This leadership development training event is design with the increase in productivity through constructive listening in mind. It is for bosses to fine-tune their listening skills across all areas of their workforce, as well as knowing when and how to respond. There will be theory & practical aspect to the training to help cement these skills. Good listening and response skills can be the factors to covert your hard work into a profitable margin.
Remember…you are never too experienced to invest in yourself. B’ Empowered A1… empowering the leader in you!
The Industries That Use Flexible Offices, and Why
Far from reducing the need for office space, the impact of the pandemic has strengthened demand for flexible workspace. Business leaders are less confident in traditional fixed, long-term leases, and are using serviced offices to help their companies adjust to the ever-changing business landscape and create a more robust platform for future growth.
Flexible office space can accommodate any business with a workspace requirement, whether for a full-time team, or for remote workers who only need a desk for a few hours per month.
Who Uses Flexible Office Space?
The results of our 2022 annual Customer Experience Survey revealed that amongst the industries that use our office space the most, 4 sectors make up 65% of the survey results: • 21%: IT/Software • 16%: Property/Construction/Surveying • 16%: Accounting/Finance/Legal and Professional • 12%: Recruitment
Our clients from these sectors revealed some of the reasons why they use flexible office space: • Space for private work and conversations: For business owners who work directly with clients, such as independent accountants or solicitors who handle potentially sensitive information, having a private workspace and/or meeting room is essential. • A place to focus: Professionals who require periods of intense focus - such as those in software development, property surveying, accounting, or legal services – they require a workplace that’s private and safe from interruptions which is why they choose office space rather than home-working. • Work/life separation: We’ve all become accustomed to the delicate line between work time and personal time. This is one of the downsides to working from home, and why many companies - even those who enable their employees to work from home - continue to use a serviced office • Fewer barriers to productivity: A serviced office is a business-focused environment that’s designed for productivity. It’s furnished, connected, and has everything people need to simply turn up and get to work • Staff who can step in when needed: Having an ‘invisible’ support network is incredibly beneficial. Our on-site customer service team keep everything running smoothly - they greet visitors, set up meeting rooms, answer calls on behalf of clients, and much more. At UBC we’ve been helping businesses transition to a more flexible way of working for decades. Companies from virtually every industry imaginable use our flexible offices, from traditional firms like HR and legal services, to creatives, event managers, security firms, transport companies, property agents, and more. We offer the full range of flexibility, including virtual offices for remote entrepreneurs, coworking, day passes, serviced offices for hybrid teams, and managed offices for established businesses. Interested in learning more about flexible workspace? Chat with our friendly team and pop in to see us at our Brentford office at The Mille
Contact Andrew Billson Email: brentford@ubcuk.com Tel: 0800 169 9822
