Capita’s Southampton employees win Big Society Award
Big Society Award for volunteers who help young people in Southampton learn skills for work.
Capita employees in Southampton have been recognised by Prime Minister David Cameron with a Big Society Award for using their expertise to help young people across the city gain skills for work.
80 employees donated more than 970 hours via Capita’s community and employment programme, which includes: mentoring schemes, workshops on skills such as communication, presentation and team work. The team works with schools, colleges, universities and the local community to promote careers in engineering, finance, customer service, management and HR.
Following the success of the programme, Capita has recruited 6 apprentices in Southampton, provided 20 work experience placements for young people and hosted nearly 40 adult placements supporting organisations such as Shaw Trust Careers Development Group, a charity which helps people with disabilities to find work. 15 Shaw Trust Careers Development Group clients are now in full time work and have credited a large part of their success to Capita’s employment programme.
Opportunities for young people
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
I’m pleased to give Capita’s staff in Southampton this Big Society Award. It recognises everyone in the team who has given up their time and used their expertise to give young people in the city opportunities to gain those vital skills needed for the world of work.
Justine Taylor, community engagement manager at Capita, said:
We are very proud to have been recognised for our community and education programme with this prominent award. Our ethos is to partner with like-minded organisations to deliver programmes that really benefit the community in which we work. We also give employees access to 1 day each year to spend working on a community, education or charity project. This benefits the community by offering real opportunities for local people to gain work skills, and we are raising the aspirations of young people in the area by encouraging them into careers in our industry.
Lisa Goncalves, Shaw Trust CDG employer relationship manager, said:
Working with Capita has enabled us to offer our beneficiaries access to invaluable work experience and learning opportunities. Capita has helped to support our clients to improve their skills and build their confidence in a live working environment, offering all-important guidance and development crucial to finding and sustaining employment. This underlines our work as a charity across the country to help people into employment, and encourage a better understanding of the value of a diverse workforce.
Find out more about the Big Society Awards.