Retailer has offered work experience placements to 300 homeless people in first year of programme
Marks & Spencer has today received top endorsement for its Ready for Work initiative, one of the biggest employability schemes in the UK. Marks & Spencer's Ready for Work, which celebrates its first anniversary this month, is designed to give homeless people the skills and experience necessary to find long-term employment. To date, the retailer has offered work placements to almost 300 homeless people, out of a target total of 600 over two years. Nearly 200 people have either already started or completed their training.
Marks & Spencer's Ready for Work has been endorsed by a Business in the Community (BITC) 'BIG TICK', in recognition of the impact that the initiative has made on society. This also means the retailer is one of the finalists for BITC's Healthy Communities Award, with the overall winner due to be announced in July.
Ready for Work, which was developed by Business Action on Homelessness, operates in 35 Marks & Spencer stores in the UK and Ireland and across six departments of the company's London head office. People affected by homelessness are offered a two-week placement and assigned a Marks & Spencer 'buddy' who acts as their mentor. While the emphasis is on work experience as a way of breaking the vicious cycle of 'no job, no home, no job', around a quarter of those who have completed the scheme have been offered jobs either at Marks & Spencer or elsewhere.
Julia Cleverdon, Chief Executive of Business in the Community commented: "Homelessness is one of the most pernicious problems facing 21st century Britain. Through its work placement opportunities, Marks & Spencer is giving homeless people the self-confidence and motivation they need to get back into the workplace. We hope that other employers will follow their lead."
Ed Williams, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Marks & Spencer said: "Ready for Work is helping homeless people to get their lives back on track. It's also helping a big company like ours to unlock the potential of our own people. The buddies who support each trainee are able to develop their team building and interpersonal skills. The scheme has also opened their eyes to an important social issue."
Ready for Work trainees are also provided with advice on compiling their CV and a uniform (or appropriate clothing) to wear for work. Their travel and lunch costs are also re-imbursed and they can receive a reference from the retailer once their placement has been successfully completed.
Today Marks & Spencer also publishes its first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Review which sets out how the company is meeting its social, environmental and ethical responsibilities. The Review highlights Marks & Spencer's CSR priorities for the year ahead and how they relate to its products, people and local communities.
For further information or case studies, please contact:
Clair Foster, Marks & Spencer: 0207 268 8323/07881 786040
Lucy Bowerman/Linda Kelly, Staniforth: 0207 940 7999
Notes to editors
1. Ready for Work was developed by Business Action on Homelessness, part of Business in the Community (BITC). The BIG TICK is awarded to all finalists in Business in the Community's Awards for Excellence. The BIG TICK was introduced in 1998 and has since been awarded to over 200 companies. This year six companies, including Marks & Spencer, have been awarded a BIG TICK in the Healthy Communities category.
2. To download a copy of Marks & Spencer's 2003 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Review, please visit www.marksandspencer.com
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