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.
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.
How will they get on?
Check back to see next week!
After an amazing journey Haajarah has completed Growing Talent 30 and starts her journey as a permanent employee with Pertemps today.
Her willingness to learn, coupled with her passion to help her peers quickly saw her build strong links with the team – as can be seen from the feature image.
Pertemps is a recruitment business which requires a lot of legal compliance. A potential minefield which demands strong attention to detail.
Haajarah opened her mind to learn this new area and is growing everyday.
The power of self empowerment, belief and belonging, coupled with nurturing support from Growing Talent and the employer, in this case Pertemps, and of course the encouragement of JobCentre Plus truly delivers strong results.
Haajarah is now on a journey to build her new career and we known she will be awesome
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After just one week on site with Pertemps, Haajarah has an awesome 1st appraisal. Scoring 9s and 10s with strengths in all areas she is adding huge value to the Pertemps team whilst empowering herself.
Unemployment, will often, naturally bring a dip in confidence. This leads to employers not seeing the full ability and potential of a potential new recruit to their business in a typical traditional recruitment scenario.
For over eight years, Growing Talent has bulldozed traditional recruitment practices. There are no cvs, job descriptions nor formal interview based on generic questions, which amplify the negative dip in confidence and enable assumptions to be made.
Instead, we have employer speed dating, one to one chats (employer selection processes) and a robust orientation/holistic week – which includes I-act Managing and Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing – prior to the new talent arriving on site. Empowered, more confident and ready to learn.
Growing Talent is a 360 degree ‘win win’ for the individual, employer and employers’ existing team.
Ready to recruit a different way?
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!
Jane James's Consultancy Limited 