Monday sees the commencement of the in role training with employers for Growing Talent 30.
Ahead of this, Michael, manager at ISS Facility Services, popped in to do some paperwork with Manny – what a photo opportunity!
Clearly already getting on fabulously, the journey ahead is going to be awesome!
Unusually the office was pretty oppressive. The blinds and curtains had been drawn to reduce the pressure on the air con system in the current heatwave.
Mindful of the fact we can only control ourselves, we decided to hold our finance workshop outside in the shade!
Of course we followed this up with a wellbeing window of sketching a piece of the London skyline!
After a week of full-on learning and qualification in Managing Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing, Luiz, Manny and Haajarah have a free day today to relax and reflect before going to their respective employer sites for the in-role training section of Growing Talent.
Haarajah joins Pedro and the team at Pertemps in Holborn
Luiz joins Aiste and the team at Portico across their London sites
Manny joins Michael and his team at ISS Facilities Services in London
We wish them all a fabulous time of growth and connection ahead.
Friday 17 June was a balmy, sunny and sticky day in London. Temperatures were high so was the positive energy in this room as our Employer Speed Dating session got underway.
This is the first selection stage of Growing Talent which removes the potential for assumptions to be made by removing cvs and formal interviews. This enables the real person to be seen rather than any ‘labels’ they may have.
For employers, it enables a collaborative, unique way to tap into a hidden talent pool bringing diversity, inclusion, commitment and belonging into their business – which can only be good, right?
Passionate employers driven to uncover diverse talent for their roles that they can grow and nurture to be empowered employees defied the heat of the trains to get to our venue at London Bridge. Let’s face it, they could have given their roles to traditional agencies – wouldn’t that be easier? Probably, but easier isn’t always best!
Some had taken part previously and knew the fun ahead. For some, it was a completely new experience! No cv? No formal interview? No Job Description? What a leap of faith they took to step out of their comfort zone to join us!
Equally impressive was the integrity and commitment of the fabulously talented, but currently unemployed applicants who arrived enthusiastic, keen to meet employers without the shackles of traditional recruitment but unsure what was going to happen and of course a little glowing from their journeys!
What gave me the biggest kick was seeing Ella and Kieran from previous Growing Talent programmes now employer side! How fabulous is that!
There’s always a little tweak to be done in the setting up of these events. As usual the amazing Julie from #Portico Welcome Team was on hand to help me! Of course, on the front desk welcoming everyone to the event was Alex – from a previous Growing Talent programme! #inspiring for the applicants.
Within minutes of entering the room to start the timed table changes – the chatter and laughter was rising as any nerves melted away.
Ricky & Sharon from #RestoreHarrowGreen seeking new talent for their diverse roles.
Lois #SwissPostSolutions & Lesley from the global financial services organisation that sponsors Growing Talent joining us to explore some potential NEBOSH H&S Executives. Both have been involved in Growing Talent from the start and of course gave tips and pointers to those they saw who didn’t quite know what to say at first.
Ella and Paul of Master-FixProperties looking for fabulous new talent to join their business. Ella of course could give some insight of the Growing Talent journey that lies ahead for those going forward.
Michael #ISS looking for new talent to join his team
Laura & Emma #OfficeConcierge joining us for the first time to look for those hidden gems of talent we have amongst our unemployed communities.
Soraya, Kieran and Rosie #SPS looking for a new team member. Like Ella, Kieran has been on the Growing Talent journey and knows what it’s like. Although when Kieran did it, Growing Talent was three months long not five weeks!
Rosie is part of Lois’s team at SPS. Together they have given opportunities to around 38 people through Growing Talent since the first programme in early 2014. Many are still there and in supervisory positions.
Always time for one more photo! – Anna – longstanding cheerleader from JobCentre Plus, Ella and Paul #MasterFix and Sharon #RestoreHarrowGreen. Over the years, Sharon has taken over 30 people into her business and watched them grow and develop.
This week sees the second selection stage take place with 1-2-1s – mainly virtual thanks to the rail strike! Nothing detracts Growing Talent – there is always a way!
Looking forward to meeting these fabulous employers this week are: Abbas, Alex, Dimitrios, Edward, Frank, Martin, Rosanna, Shari and Sharon.
Check back to find out how they get on.
Growing Talent is a collaborative way for employers and their unemployed communities to come together on a level playing field journey to permanent jobs. Find out more on the Growing Talent tab on this website or check out http://www.growing-talent.co.uk.
I’m so excited by the increase in numbers of interested applicants referred by #JobCentrePlus#London driven by Anna and her team.
Humans make assumptions based on labels without challenging these thoughts. This can be crippling especially when in the recruitment field. Employers can miss out on innovative, new diverse talent and individuals can miss out on job opportunities that literally have the capacity to change their lives.
Some of the assumptions I’ve encountered over the years by unenlightened employers include:
‘single parent’ = unreliable
‘unemployed’ = lazy
‘homeless’ = too much trouble
Equally, unemployed people often make assumptions:
‘I can’t’
‘I don’t have the experience’
‘I’m not worthy’
Growing Talent was designed to remove these assumptions making a level playing field for employers to grow their own talent in situ before confidently hiring and for individuals to be seen for their talent and potential – not their label.
This process has worked for over eight years – including during the Covid years because of CCD. Communication. Collaboration and Drive.
Listening to and supporting both the employers and unemployed participants, joining the support of work coaches at JobCentre Plus, mentoring 24/7 throughout the journey has seen over 178 people from diverse social economic and cultural backgrounds secure permanent jobs and change their lives – literally.
Employers have secured diverse new talent and the positive impact this brings without the shackles of traditional recruitment methods.
The 29th programme of Growing Talent kicks off with 72 interested applicants joining the information session tomorrow.
Diverse opportunities from our fabulous employers taking part Masterfix GB LimitedPertemps Network Group#SwissPostSolutions#OfficeConciergeISS Facility Services UKRestore plc#ZeroWasteTechnologies will be life changing for those they select.
The journey ahead is inspiring and energising!
If you are unemployed and seek a permanent role in London, or an employer looking to fill a permanent role in London – contact me now. Growing Talent 29 kicks off shortly……
Catching up with Florence over the weekend, she shared with me Suaad had discovered these Gulp Jugs for sale and now the fabulous Growing Talent trio – Florence, Ella and Suaad are going to buy one to commemorate their time on Growing Talent.
Why is this a big deal?
Whilst I’m proud these empowered, dynamic women loved the learning and confidence building of our week together #orientationand #holistic prior to going on their employer’s site & have used the knowledge consistently to the extent they want to remember it always …… I DISLIKE INTENTLY these jugs!
Why?
My mum had one for years which I complained about every time I went round. It was, in my view ugly and an awful shade of green. She threatened to leave it to me – which she did! I was amazed to sell it at a boot sale for 50p (I couldn’t believe someone would pay any money for it!).
Fast forward 10 years to Growing Talent 28th Orientation and Holistic week at etc venues in Fenchurch Place. What do they use for water jugs? Oh yes! I was confronted by a sea of these gulp jugs which Ella, Florence and Suaad thought hysterical!
What’s the message of this tale?
For me, anything that evokes memories of fun, collaboration, growth, empathy and kindness has got to be good….. even if it’s an awful gulp jug!!!
What a full on, interactive, knowledge sharing week it’s been so far and we’re only at Wednesday!
An unexpected, last minute re-schedule request saw two I-act Managing & Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing delivered on Monday with a little over one hour gap – exhilarating!
The first with a utilities organisation who have already delivered this course to many of their managers and seen the benefits of doing so….
In between these, work on a potential new advertising campaign for Growing Talent in the New Year, ongoing processing for 25 Genos EI Assessments for a global facilities services company – progressing nicely then yesterday I delivered I-act Managing and Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing to a mixed cohort including managers from diverse industries wanting to upskill their knowledge and some trainee instructors doing this as part of their accredited instructor journey….
What an honour it’s been to work virtually with so many people in such a short time!
“The course was very interesting and so close to my heart”
“You made us all feel included and comfortable – I learned so many new tools”
“I’m going straight back to work to talk to my managers – we need to do more of this!”
And what happened when I mentioned nose hair? Well, that’s a whole other post.
Some weeks are full to the brim with activity, new learning and wonderment. If we just open ourselves up to every opportunity – who knows where it will lead or the new connections we’ll secure!
Enjoy the rest of your week!
19 July saw the start of the first Growing Talent hybrid for ten fantastically talented, currently unemployed people keen to work.
Selected by one of the ‘Big 4’ organisations for permanent roles in their growing virtual business support teams, they commenced step one – the orientation and holistic week – virtual of course!
So what did we cover over this week?
Monday – communication – a vital area to get right in all areas of our lives – no matter what our social status is nor our seniority in the workplace. But how much time do we put into making sure we get this right? Have you considered the following?
There is more to communication than most think!
Tuesday – invest in yourself. Critical – not selfish. Airline safety talks ‘state put the oxygen mask on you BEFORE helping others’ That makes sense, so why not scheduling in some self care windows throughout the day? This section covered:
Wednesday – nurturing your body – a car only runs on the right fuel. So does your body. Fuel it mindfully!
Thursday – Money talks! Sharing basic financial tips together. 3 little bottles – waste and recycling, why is it so important. Moving on. Encompassing…..
Friday – I-act – Managing and Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing
How to look after yourself and those around you. This accredited course delivers a solid understanding of what mental health and wellbeing is, over 50 tools for self care and evaluation, robust evidence reporting – amongst a whole lot more.
So what did the fabulous 10 participants feel about the week? Below are some of the feedback – anonymous in line with GDPR:
“The content was exciting and engaging – which surprised me. I was expecting it to be a bit boring because it’s delivered by Zoom”
“The journey book which accompanied the week was clear and helped me understand the course. I can refer to it ongoing.”
“This week was so worthwhile – it’s taught me how to be more professional”
“I’ve been implementing things I learned in my personal life such as delaying my response in conversations until I understand what’s been said. It’s easy to misunderstand people if you jump in too soon.”
“The contents of the week were fantastic, very informative and engaging with loads of tools to assist me going forward”
The accompanying book was significantly relevant”
“I found everything insightful and enlightening. There were a lot of topics. I especially liked mental health and how to engage with someone who might be struggling. I feel I can now demonstrate a lot more empathy. I also really enjoyed finance considering how much I wasn’t taught much about the topic at school.”
“I’m glad to have the accompanying book as I can go back and refresh my knowledge anytime.
“This is probably the best training course I have every attended. T/he contents cover life inside and outside work”
“The book will be extremely useful going forward. On the course it enabled everyone to read at their own pace.”
“I loved how Jane had everyone engaged and included in all of the topic areas. She allowed us to digress within reason, which helped explore the topic further but she was also able to control anything that was not relevant to our learning.”
“Jane’s style was inclusive, warm and welcoming. Everything was clear.”
“Jane is very interactive and gives off a very positive vibe. I really felt like my opinion was relevant when she asked questions and she’s always very impartial so we didn’t feel like we were being judged. It was a pleasure doing my training with her”
“Jane’s compassionate and a very good listener”
“”Jane’s style was nice and precise, she knows what she is talking about and is a confident lady who taught us in a respectful professional manner.”
For me, the week was a mutually positive experienced. When we see each other as humans, we can learn so much together. Essential for work and life – don’t you agree?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57349802 This features a report by KPMG on the situation UK PLC finds itself in: “thousands of job vacancies but no people to fill them” How can that be so?
In other reports from @BBC we know there are 1.7m unemployed and over 4m on furlough who may not have jobs to return to when furlough finally ends.
There seems a huge disconnect.
From the people I’ve spoken to over the past fourteen months I think there’s an elephant in the room we are not addressing. Fear.
Fear of stepping outside their door.
Fear of leaving their family.
Fear of stepping onto public transport.
Fear of walking into a new environment.
Fear of getting to learn a new role.
Fear of a new routine
Fear of not being respected by colleagues
Fear of not ‘gelling’ with the team/management
Fear of losing this new job
Fear of failing
There is an expectation employers will address this fear. Those integrating the new ISO45003 guidelines will go a long way to achieving this. Using Growing Talent to gain new talent will see them go even further in achieving the goal of sustainable new talent who have grown into the available role through the methods taught on Growing Talent to flourishing adding real value to everyone.
If you have a real job to fill, why not consider www.growing-talent.co.uk? It’s completely free and not a Government funded programme.
The global pandemic has seen businesses change the way they operate to get the results they want.
Isn’t now the time to change the way you recruit to reveal those hidden gems of talent you’ve potentially been missing?
#psychosocial #risks #business #leadership #talent #socialmobility #inclusion #diversity
Jane James's Consultancy Limited 