Let’s celebrate the relationships between employers and our clients

#England

#LoveIsland

#EmpDay18

It’s a tough challenge raising the profile of the employment support sector- I mean when you’re competing on the Twitter trending scale with #LoveIsland…

And yet within our sector we’re often working with people whose lives are significantly more complex than the Islanders so we really should do more to celebrate and shout about what goes on behind the scenes to create a “coupling” between our clients and an employer.

At Transform Lives Company we do just that and we’re really proud to be one of the 19 finalists for the NESTA Good Help Award. Every success, every step forwards, every achievement by one of our participants is celebrated and shared with their peers. It generates a positivity momentum and everyone wants to be a part of it. We work with our people to support them along their job search journey, supporting not showing, coaching not criticising and giving them choices at every step of the way. 

That’s why our flagship programme GiveGetGo in Liverpool has been recognised by NESTA, connecting unemployed people to volunteering opportunities in places like The University of Liverpool, Speke Hall (National Trust), Everton FC and Knowsley Safari Park.

One of the greatest challenges of the sector is challenging the mindset of employers. The University of Liverpool is leading the way by guaranteeing job interviews to participants of GiveGetGo. It’s a coupling that really works with 6 people now employed by the University who were either long term unemployed, struggling with mental health, a veteran or managing long term health conditions.

Let’s use #EmpDay18 to build and celebrate more significant relationships between employers and our clients, creating solid, sustainable couplings that will have greater impact on peoples lives than those created in a Majorcan villa!

Lauren Bailey Rhodes is Director of Operations at Transform Lives Company