“I have the pleasure getting into this program and working with Jane at Growing Talent. Since the whole job market has changed after Covid, many people struggle with finding themselves or finding their confidence for looking for a job.
Growing Talent gives this confidence back to people, who are talented, keen and willing to work but maybe they are just not visible enough to employers.
Instead of going through the same old recruitment process of sending CVs, trying to stand out from thousands of resumes, catching employers’ attention in 6 seconds (which often feels like a battle), at Growing Talent your resume is your personality, your charisma, energy and you have the opportunity to show & talk about yourself the way you want the employers to know about you.
Great companies give you their time and attention in a fun event that can actually lead to your next amazing role. And the best thing is that Jane guides you through the whole process, making sure that you are prepared and perform at your best.
This is such a unique experience that could benefit more companies and candidates – l wish more organisations would operate this way! Thanks to Growing Talent, many of us had the chance to step into a pool of great opportunities.” Fru, Growing Talent participant March 2023 joining SPS Global
Wing, joining Pilgrims Group & Fru joining SPSGlobal during the Orientation and Holistic week.
Growing Talent works because of our 360 collaboration with employers, the currently unemployed, the JobCentre Plus ‘All Stars’ led by David & Anna and of course our awesome funders – a global financial services organisation.
Thank you all with special thanks to those partners taking part this time – as you can see Fru eloquently shows the difference we all make when working together.
Take a bow everyone 👏 👏 👏
Our employers taking part this time: Breyer Group, Office Concierge, ISS, Restore Harrow Green, Honeywell, Portico & SPS, our JobCentre Plus ‘All Stars’ and cheerleaders – David Steeds & Anna Matthews & of course our fabulous Growing Talent Associates: Fru, Wing, Shanika, Ola & Joseph who took the leap to do something completely different 👏 👏 👏
If you are an employer looking to fill your vacancies with some awesome talent in London or someone who has lost their mojo to secure a job they can grow into a career why not check Growing Talent out?
Some incredible opportunities confirmed – some from new employers taking part in Growing Talent for the first time!
Disrupting the traditional recruitment route.
The Growing Talent collaboration delivers a partnership of mentoring to someone who has lost their self confidence.
You’ve likely heard the phrase:
“It takes a village to raise a child”
9 years of running Growing Talent has shown me it takes a multi-stakeholder collaboration to nurture people into permanent jobs, when they can’t see the talent within them, where they not only grow their career and make a difference to their employer but are empowered to be the best they can be for their friends, family and community.
More roles are expected over the next week for this London based initiative.
Yesterday I was invited to present the benefits of Growing Talent to Inam’s teams at JobCentre Plus covering Wandsworth and Putney.
Sharing the unique aspects of this established programme with work coaches enthused to learn and share with their customers looking for a different way to get into work was empowering.
We all carry labels in life. Some we covet – employed, home owner, holiday maker, car owner – but others are thrust on us: unemployed, single parent, homeless, care system leaver, domestic abuse survivor.
These labels are heavy to bear, especially when we can have more than one label to carry at a time.
Overtime, we can feel more and more invisible as our confidence diminishes.
It can be like being in a deep dark pit with no ladder to start climbing out. Growing Talent is that ladder.
Together confidence and self-empowerment starts to grow, then flourishes throughout the journey until people have the self-belief and tools to take control of their lives back, make decisions and fly! Growing their job into a career is seamless opening up lifelong opportunities.
Growing the collaboration of Growing Talent with new stakeholders is exciting.
Monday night saw the relaunch of Growing Talent at the London HQ of our host and sponsor PwC.
With over 90 people present the pre-event networking was a hub of energetic networking. Interspersed with ‘OMG it’s been so long’ as ex-Growing Talent Associates over the years met-up for the first time since their journey began.
In addition to these awesome people, guests included members of JobCentrePlus, senior management of DWP, community organisations including SLAM, Southwark Care Leavers and Breyer Foundation as well as employers – veterans of Growing Talent and those new to the collaboration – looking to find out more.
The co-ordinator of Growing Talent kicked off proceedings explaining what Growing Talent was and when it started, why, in their view, it is as important today as when it started, the social value it has delivered and the benefits to all taking part.
We were incredibly lucky to have Ian Elliott, Chief People Officer at PwC join us to share why social mobility programmes like Growing Talent are so important to the Firm, why they support these initiatives and how important it is for businesses to engage with their local communities to gain innovative talent to grow effectively.
Following Ian, David senior manager from DWP, a long-time staunch supporter of Growing Talent, shared why they support Growing Talent when it is not a Government programme.
Following David, were the stars of the event – ex-Growing Talent Associates Charlie-Ray and Rehana – sharing their experience, where they were at the start of their journey and where they are now.
From a starting point of no confidence nor direction at the start of his journey on Growing Talent, Charlie flourished and won promotion to his current position as Senior Welcome Host with Portico leading a team of 30 direct reports!
He’s taken ownership for a lot of diverse projects nationally, including a secondment for a number of weeks to help mobilise a new regional office ensuring new staff feel they belong and have a strong sense of connection. This secondment was meant to be a one day trip!
Rehana was next to share her roller coaster journey on Growing Talent. Working with Portico for a few years as Welcome Host following completion before returning to full-time education to study to be a Counsellor – a long held passion.
But how to fund such an intensive course?
Rehana started her own craft business ‘Sealed with a Stitch’ selling crochet items within the UK and internationally – ideal for corporate gifts, unique birthday presents or to mark a special event.
Easter Bunny example of Rehana’s work during Covid!
Rehana juggles this business with her position as a Counsellor supporting vulnerable people with Headstrong.
Charlie and Rehana both shared the power of what saying ‘yes’ to someone can have.
Neither of them would have been recruited by their employers in a traditional recruitment process – but look at the awesome talent that would have been missed!
Allen, Head of Information Management Services at PwC as well as lead for Growing Talent at PwC, was last to speak and share his personal experience of supporting Growing Talent over the last nine years, from holding roundtable discussions on basic finance considerations to being a judge on our previous social enterprise challenges.
It was powerful to listen to Allen share his thoughts of meeting the Growing Talent Associates at the start of their journey and see the empowering transformation they underwent. He still sees many working in the PwC offices continuing to grow every day.
It was fantastic catching up with some of the ex-Growing Talent Associates and learning of where they are now…..
Chloe and Sophia joined Growing Talent virtually during Covid in August 2021.
Several promotions later for each of them, they are still working for PwC and ‘so happy’ – their words.
Sophia is now Team Leader and PwC Support Specialist coaching and developing many team members into other areas of PwC’s business. Sophia shared she can now make ‘grown-up’ decisions on investments and pensions.
Chloe is now an Executive Assistant organising and supporting her managers delivering projects.
In addition to clearly loving their careers, both shared how making their children proud of them was a powerful realisation.
L-R – Stephan, Miyuki from ISS, Kieron, Bernie of Swiss Post Solutions, Anna – JobCentre Plus lead who has taken countless early morning calls to sort out any issues participants were experiencing over the years, Charlie-Ray of Portico, Navin and Jamie of Swiss Post Solutions with Chloe & Sophia – PwC.
The ripple effect of the positive impact on those around the Growing Talent Associates is clear. One example, Navin shared the huge recognition his dad, Nalin, received from his employer recently (met on Growing Talent in 2019). Nalin has won so many testimonials from guests and colleagues over the years, the hotel recognised this commitment by awarding him a visit to New York taking his wife and Navin along for some shopping and sightseeing! How great is that?
Of course, I had to get in the photos too!!!!
The post event networking went on longer than anticipated with wonderful bitesize canapes and drinks. Thanks to the team at Baxter Storey especially the particularly tasty beetroot bites!
Employers were buzzing about what roles they could ring-fence to take part in the next programme and community groups were thinking of the awesome clients they could refer.
It was certainly a night to remember!
The Growing Talent story continues…….
Let’s recap the benefits so you can decide to get involved:
Potential applicants
No cvs nor job descriptions = no assumptions.
Mentored to grow into a permanent role which you can turn into a career
Empowering orientation and holistic week which includes a qualification in positive mental health before going on the employers site
Retain your benefits, have all fares paid and get paid by the employer during the mutual ‘test drive period’
Be confident the role, employer and team is right for you
Start to believe in the talent you have within you
Cost free robust pre-onboarding process aiding retention
Differentiator with competitors in commercial bids
Fish from an innovative, diverse talent pool to grow some awesome new talent
Confidence the match is right before making a permanent hire
If you are an employer with vacancies to fill in London, why not recruit a different way? Contact me for more information or see https://www.growing-talent.co.uk/employers/
What are you waiting for? Experience the power of saying yes!
A big thank you to all organisations including Pertemps, MasterFix Properties, Swiss Post Solutions, ISS@PwC and Aviva, ISS UK & Ireland, Office Concierge, Honeywell, Portico, Baxter Story, senior management from PwC, ex-Growing Talent Associates, members of DWP and JobCentre Plus, community groups including SLAM, Breyer Foundation and Southwark Care Leavers who gave up their personal time to attend.
A very special thank you to Adrienne Simpson who juggled her ‘day job’ as Allen’s Executive Assistant with organising the whole event start to finish – Ads – you are a superstar!
Our Growing Talent event on Monday 16 January 2023 in London has some awesome confirmed speakers.
Some senior management from our global corporate sponsors – including a Partner from the Exec Board! A senior, regional manager from Department of Work and Pensions, an energetic double act from one of our staunch employers who have been with us from the start nine years ago and two people who have been on the Growing Talent journey themselves.
Rehana has built her own successful online craft business providing unique crocheted gifts as well as becoming a qualified Counsellor and Charlie-Ray oozes positivity to all around him – team, guests, management as Senior Welcome Host in a global corporate.
Both know the life-long power Growing Talent delivers. It really does make participants see their talent within, step into the light and shine knowing they have control of their lives and the opportunities ahead of them are truly limitless!
Exciting meeting with @DavidSteeds & @Maddiemum @JCPinSthLondon yesterday planning @Growing_Talent 2023. Four programmes will run throughout the year enabling forward planning for all involved. Targeting London based employers and unemployed people looking for a different journey into work.
In these challenging times, now more than ever this unique collaboration is needed to deliver positive results to all.
Thanks to all involved over 9yrs Growing Talent has run changing lives by delivering real social mobility
What will the next year hold for Growing Talent?????
Who knows! One thing is for sure, we’re ready to roll that bowling ball!
Fantastic meeting today re-connecting with employers who recruited prolifically in the early years of Growing Talent with many of the then hidden talent they brought into their businesses, still flourishing there years later!
New recruitment gurus – Ed looking after Baxter Storey’s talent and Laura, leading Portico and Searcy’s recruitment, we explored the ethos of Growing Talent and it’s alignment with the integrity, nurturing and social mobility core of Ed and Laura’s respective companies.
Looking forward to the relaunch event on 16 January 2023. If you are an employer, based in London, contact us to find out more.
We make connections that sometimes grow into friends that sometimes last a lifetime. This friendship journey starts with an unknown destination in sight.
How often in our working life do me make connections that we don’t continue to nurture when we, or they, move to a new company?
So often I see some people climb the corporate ladder by connecting with people and then discarding them when their perceived usefulness has diminished. But here’s the thing, there will be a time when people have reached their ‘top’ and have to descend that ladder. Those connections they discarded could be really helpful. Would they want to be?
Simon Sinek has many excellent films on YouTube. One, stands out on this subject – Leadership – We Only Deserve a Styrofoam Cup .
Nurturing our connections through life will deliver dear friends, compassionate and supportive career guides – throughout our career journey to the top and back down again – and so much more.
We really do reap what we sow.
Today, I am meeting up with a dear friend. Our connection started when Rehana joined Growing Talent many years ago. Watching her confidence and empowerment grow year on year, overcome every obstacle with grace, compassion and determination has been an honour. Now an entrepreneur with a unique, bespoke gift business and starting her dream career as a qualified Counsellor Rehana will make a life changing difference to the people she works with.
After a full-on orientation with Lee and Lily on Growing Talent 31 they ended this stage of their journey by completing the global, accredited, workplace designed Managing and Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing course.
The orientation chapter of Growing Talent’s 31st programme is now completed and a new chapter begins – their mutual test drive with their respective employers to see if the permanent role ring fenced for them is a great fit for both parties.
Check back to see how both get on with #Honeywell and #ISS.
Some awesome, currently unemployed, talent in London will meet some inspired employers looking to add new talent and innovation to their teams at Growing Talent’s 31st 1st stage selection process we like to call “Employers Speed Dating session”.
We do things differently! No cvs, no job descriptions no assumptions.
Creating a level playing field enables employers to see the hidden talent and potential often unseen in a formal recruitment process.
By partnering with JobCentre Plus and community organisations – this time, Southwark Care Leavers – we can really make a difference in enabling those in need of an empowering journey into employment, to shine and show their true potential.
Jane James's Consultancy Limited 