Central England Co-operative has won the prestigious national IGD Employability Award, sponsored by Mars.
On Tuesday, 7th October, the company was honoured for its youth employment programme, including its SENse to Aspire initiative which aims to give students from Selly Oak Trust School with special educational needs (SEN) a better chance of getting a job. In spite of their school achievements, research by the Department of Health, indicates that those with special educational needs will have only a 7% likelihood of finding paid employment when they finish their education. SENse to aspire addresses this situation by combining two elements: classroom-based learning on job-seeking skills, and two days’ supported learning in a Society food store or floristry shop.
Talking about SENse to Aspire, Lyn Theophilus, Board Trustee for Selly Oak Trust School, said:
“Many parents of children with special educational needs have to accept that their child will never work beyond education and will face a life of social care and benefits. This is mainly because these children are never given the opportunity to prove their abilities in the work place. We have always struggled to find this type of support for our students and are extremely grateful to Central England Co-operative and their local food stores and floral teams for giving our young people the chance to show how much they have to offer.”
Tamsin Jones, Head of Business Partnering & Talent at Mars, added: “Central England Co-operative impressed all the judges with its fundamentally different and refreshing approach to employability. What was inspiring was its passion and the collaborative approach taken to work across its own business and with key local stakeholders. The initiative has driven real differences in supporting young people on their 'journey to work' and working closely with special needs students to give a 'sense to aspire'. Success has been achieved through time and commitment with minimal financial investment.
“The confidence and development Central England Co-operative provided for people through its schemes is life-changing. The impact it is having – both on its business's talent agenda but more importantly on the lives of others in its community – is inspiring. It has also developed a scalable model to be able to deploy to other regions and groups, so is expanding its positive impact with clear future goals. This entry possessed real 'stardust' quality.”
Commenting on the IGD Awards, Joanne Denney-Finch, IGD Chief Executive, said: “We’ve had some great submissions, demonstrating the leadership, innovation and excellence that our industry has to offer. There’s no doubt that we are operating in challenging times, yet the resilience and originality that members of this industry demonstrate is truly exceptional, from small start-ups to medium-sized companies to large international ones. Many congratulations to all of our finalists and winners.”
About the IGD Awards
The winners of the IGD Awards were selected by some of the industry’s top people, including representatives from IGD and companies from across the food and grocery supply chain. The results were announced on 6th October at the Awards ceremony, which was hosted by television personality Rachel Riley.
IGD is a research and training charity that helps the food and grocery industry to deliver the needs of the public.