self belief

100% Success for all Starters!

Jane James2 Comments

Team plus

Growing Talent 5 – the most successful group yet.  100% of all starters completed and went into work!  Seen here with some previous Growing Talent Associates who returned to encourage the guys.  Comfort from the pilot has been working successfully with Honeywell since completion, Caroline & James from Growing Talent 2 is still working with Iron Mountain.  Josh from Growing Talent 4 working with Harrow Green and Kavita from Growing Talent 4 still working with Aramark!  #PeoplePower!

 

 

For the first time in the short history of Growing Talent, all 11 who started the programme have completed and started their permanent jobs!  Despite a few early day wobbles from some, they rallied with support and encouragement to have the confidence to prove themselves, staying the course for the entire three months!

 

Jose secured his dream role in HR with Harrow Green after years of working in hospitality roles.

Shanika left retail behind and joined Harrow Green in their niche customer service team supporting all the business moves for their clients.

Jason, Bradley & Gavin all secured Porter roles at Harrow Green’s depots despite having little recent employment experience.

Alechenu joined Mitie Total Document Management in their rapid response team – part of the wider Service Solutions offering at one of their global client’s London sites.

Reece also joined Mitie Total Document Management in their Archiving division.  This team looks after all the Firm’s data – a huge responsibility!

Shennell & Alex both join Iron Mountain as Data/Project specialists after a long period of not really knowing what direction to so in.

Reese joins MHFAEngland as a Data Entry specialist

Camilla joins Portico in their Executive Reception team as an Executive Host.

 

You can find out more about their journeys at my other site – http://www.growing-talent.co.uk or at @Growing_Talent.

 

 

 

 

Whirlwind of Visits Last Week!

Jane JamesLeave a comment

In amongst the usual order of business last week including a VETs (Veterans Employment Transition) meeting in Canary Wharf, discussion for the annual  Growing Talent graduation ceremony in November and a meeting with a leading facilities company on ideas for a mental health/wellbeing training programme, were three site visits to see how some Growing Talent Associates were getting on.

mhfa

Based in Old Street, London, MHFA is a niche organisation leading the way in mental health first aid training and awareness.  Part of the global family of MHFA which is now in over 20 countries globally, they were looking for an enthused person to join the team in data entry/admin duties and decided to put the vacancy through Growing Talent.  Reece Newton was selected by Gillian and Emma from MHFA’s central team to join them.

 

Reece and Gillian

Two weeks in, I was keen to find out how Reece was getting on – seen above with Gillian – at MHFA’s offices.  Unfortunately, the directions I’d given Reece were pretty useless as a lot of building work had gone on since my last visit!  So after a stressful start trying to the find the office, Reece soon settled into the team.  So far he’s printed and checked over 800 Mental Health First Aid Certificates, worked on the database ensuring records are uptodate and general office duties.  Completely different to his previous retail experience, Reece is so far loving the challenge – and the commute!

 

mitie

Over to PwC’s offices at Embankment Place to see Alenchenu working with the five strong rapid team which includes David Calloway from Growing Talent 4!  Alenchenu is settling in well.  He’s already absorbed the processes for tracking and delivering packages throughout the building – not as easy as you might think!  He’s already making plans for when he secures the permanent job.  First on his list is independence!  He’s keen to get his own place.  Next is evening college to focus on courses to aid his ultimate dream job – robotics prosthetics. Alenchenu is enjoying the role so far and getting on well with the team.

Alenchenu EP

My final visit was to Camilla at Portico seen below with one of the Portico managers – Gary Grant………

 

Gary and Camilla

 

Looking the consumate professional in her Portico uniform, Camilla looks as though she has worked at PwC’s More London offices for years!  Michal – Team Leader and Marcia – Floor Manager, below, agreed Camilla has not only worked hard to support the team, she has learnt the meeting room operations quickly, staying late to aid events and been positively enthused throughout.

 

Marci and Michael

This week, Camilla is in the sun with her family celebrating her mum’s 50th.  On her return Marcia and Michal plan to give Camilla the diverse experience of a floor assistant.  Camilla has enjoyed Growing Talent so far and looks forward to what lies ahead……………

 

With plans for an advertorial in the Evening Standard and  a month long banner ad campaign on line, hopefully Growing Talent will grow and grow!

A triumph – Friday 6 February

Jane James2 Comments

panel

The final day of the Orientation Week – 4th generation dawned with some trepidation from the Growing Talent Associates.  After preparation, planning, run through after run through the Social Enterprise Judging Panel had arrived!

 

Coffee and adrenaline flowed as did the nerves and bravado! at 10am the judges started to arrive – Jon Barnes – PwC, Simon Pratt – Portico, Greg Bramwell – Baxter Storey, Chloe Crudgington – Iron Mountain, Patti Sidhu – Pertemps and Jo Gadian – JCP.  Armed with score sheets, questions and feedback, the panel listed intently to the three ideas:

 

A Better Place was the first to go.  Sinead, Michael and Joshua delivered a sensitive presentation on rape and the social stigma for all involved.  Next up was Growing Hope a knit of ideas based on the individual interests of Maxine – allotments, Daoud – football coaching, Jessica – dance classes for all ages and abilities and Selwyn in charge of transport.  The third presentation by Kit, Jane, Courtney and Kaith was to develop a unified bike scheme in Ealing.

 

The panel had five minutes to decide the winning idea – but took over 20 – such was the calibre!  Finally A Better Place was announced as the overall winner and Jon presented silver cups to team members.

 

winners 2

 

Some judges comments taken from their score sheets include:  ‘engaged immediately- great presentation’, ‘professional and passionate’, ‘great team support for each other’.  To think the Growing Talent Associates had only known each other for a few short days!

 

Comments from the Associates themselves reflecting on Growing Talent so far:

‘Job seeking really knocks your confidence, so this is a great way to build people up again and make them feel worthy of work’

‘I am very happy to be on this programme, I feel very positive about the future’

‘Brilliant’

‘Great scheme’

‘I hope it continues’

‘Thank you for this great opportunity’

‘This scheme is brilliant – it helps us gain confidence’

‘Fantastic organisation and inspiring Growing Talent should replace all JobCentres’

‘This scheme has helped me and I know it has helped others’

‘This is a fantastic experience.  It’s a really good way of gaining confidence and getting doors open for the future which we don’t usually believe can happen.’

http://www.growing-talent.co.uk

Growing Talent – The Fourth Generation…………

Jane JamesLeave a comment

January 23rd saw 67 applicants take part in initial screening and assessment tasks with employers to secure one of the places on Growing Talent.

With a final total of 20 jobs for drivers, administrators, catering and hospitality assistants to services solution operatives and recruitment resourcers across London and Basildon – the heat was on!

You would assume something like this would be intense and cause nerves.  The opposite was true!  Applicants had the time to let their true personalities shine through, have a laugh and get to know other people in the same unemployed position as them.

The employers leading the assessment had a tough job but eventually managed to select 47 to go forward to the final stage on 26 January.  Some employers were taking part for the first time.  Hesitant on how to select people for their roles in the knowledge that if the guys completed the job was theirs and they would join their companies.  Trying to find those ‘rough’ gems they thought would be hard.

Actually, it was easy.  There was so much talent in the room and when you see people having fun and being themselves – not putting on a mask for a short interview – matching is quite natural.

The biggest problem was some employers chose the same candidate!  What it is to be wanted – a great boost to the ego!  Some chose not to select alternative candidates so 12 went forward to the Orientation Week.

Today is Day 2.  Yesterday accomplished a lot.  All 12, from ages ranging from late teens up to the mid-fifties, worked well together breaking down some of those misconceptions we all have about people.  They had to do presentations on each other within 20 minutes of walking into the room – talk about pressure!

Three course lunch was amazing – and a welcome change from cheese sandwiches!!!

They entered the room pretty much as strangers, but left with the seeds of camaraderie growing!

What will today bring……

Just do it!

Jane JamesLeave a comment

Over the Christmas break I undertook some ‘administration’!  Finally sorting through those bits of paper, electronic files and e-mails in the hope of making identifying information more efficient in 2015!

I managed to do this but a valuable by product was finding a page of quotes some past and recent graduates of Growing Talent had sent.  They made me realise that even when politics raises its ugly head in trying to do something new, the value to people in the ‘just do it’ mantra I adopted many years ago makes it more than worthwhile.

‘There are no limits to growing talent.  Attitude, dedication and determination will decide your destination.’ – previous to Growing Talent this person had little education and zero commercial work experience.  They had researched and helped build a family website over a few months.  Now he is an integral part of the team of this manufacturer in Southwark.  He undertakes payroll – having passed all three levels of Sage, company records and administration.  His personal confidence has soared.

‘Be flexible and adaptable to new changes.  This will be a stepping stone to a great future.’  This accountancy graduate had a troubled early life having arrived in the UK as a refugee with her family.  Living in temporary accommodation with her family the uncertainty of home/work didn’t detract from her determination.  She is now working her way up a global management records company with her eye on their accounts department.

‘Stay strong! Remember why you are doing this and what your end goal is.  Make use of every opportunity you find’.  A graduate in communications with a passion for art and photography, this person was outwardly confident having been encouraged by parents, each with their own business, to succeed in everything from an early age.  However, on leaving university the jobs didn’t come and the confidence dipped.  They are now working in recruitment as a consultant and have set-up their own on-line business as well.

The guys wrote these quotes to encourage those following them on Growing Talent  Having been with them on their journey start to finish and still in touch with them know, it encourages me how much Growing Talent meant to them, what it has done for them and what the skills learnt on the programme will do for them in the future.

Having re-read these and remembered the individuals’ powerful journeys I am determined to ‘just do it’ when met with the ‘politics’ of partner organisations.

If you have read this, take the time to think of the difference you have made to others both at work and at home.  Be enthused at the impact you have on others and ‘just do it’ next time you are faced with a challenge!