Portico

“Get your foot in the door and work your way up”

Jane JamesLeave a comment

Sound familiar?

I use it all the time on the Growing Talent employability programme I run. It can be hard to see an opportunity when you have a fixed idea in your mind about a role you want when you are unemployed.

Often it can result in missing an opportunity that will get you where you want to be – just a different route – by simply getting your foot in the door and working your way up!

Meeting Fajar from Portico on the current Growing Talent programme, it was great to learn how Alex and Katie have progressed since joining her team on the last programme.

Neither started where they thought they wanted to be.

Katie realty wanted a static role in welcome/reception. Alex was interested in any stable role but didn’t believe he would achieve one – let alone a client facing one.

Both silenced their internal negative chatter, took a deep breath,  stuck their foot in the door and worked their way up really quickly!

Within a few short weeks of joining her roving welcome host role, Katie got her desired static role!

Alex, is in such demand from Portico accounts across London – Fajar confirmed he’s booked up until August.

Sometimes we can overthink so much, we let that negative voice in our head get so loud that we don’t seize the opportunities which come our way. Instead, we remain exactly where we are. Stuck.

How do you feel about ‘get your foot in the door and work your way up?’

Slow dating – Growing Talent Style……

Jane JamesLeave a comment

What an amazing day yesterday!

Growing Talent‘s 39th employer event with 11 amazing, incredibly talented, but currently unemployed applicants.

Let’s hear it for Aboidun, Alex, Bozena, James, luliia, Katie, Leon, Mulenga, Niki, Samuel, and Shantelle. 👏 👏 👏 You stepped outside your comfort zone and shone! Well done!

Also stepping outside their comfort zone to do things a little differently were our fabulous employers 👏 👏 👏:

Phil, Angela & Sophie #NGBailey
Elliott and Rakesh ISS A/S
Stace and Daisy SPS UK and Ireland
Gemma and Josh Portico (the gold star is to mask my sponsor – not a gold star for attendance!!! 🤣 )
Shelby, Mick, Megan and Ben CIS Security Limited

Spending 20 minutes at each table to learn more about each other following the ‘getting to know you event’ on 12.2.25 and the personal profile sheets compilation – it’s been an exhausting, yet energising process for all involved.

Now the nail biting commences whilst employers are going through their shortlists to arrange 1-2-1s!

Thanks to the legends behind the scenes that make Growing Talent happen…

Adrienne Simpson
Adam Bushell
Allen Salmon
Matthew Izekor and the team at Southwark Care Leavers
#DavidSteeds and the #JCP teams across London
Rob Matthews (Anna)

Traditional or Innovation? What would you choose?

Jane JamesLeave a comment

CIS-Security, ISS, NG Bailey, Portico,  SPS UK & Ireland, choose innovation to discover new talent for their businesses.


After a couple of inspiring weeks during which we held a getting to know each other event, London Challenge –  ideas  to make London better, employer spotlights – insight into recruiting businesses and managers, networking over bags of nibbles, and finally1-2-1 meetings – the results are in!

We welcome Antoinette, Filsan, Mark & Yohana to start the next stage in their Growing Talent journey –  the Orientation and Holistic week! Starting Monday, we will explore workplace and life skills, effective communication, making better connections, the power of EI, understand and manage unconscious bias, even an art class!,  before finishing with a qualification in the global pro active i-act (for positive mental health and wellbeing) training. Mental Health Training course aligned with ISO45003.

Check back to see how this awesome quartet gets on.

Meanwhile, over in our innovative new Talent Hub, some awesome talent who didn’t make it past the selection stage – before any judgement, some employer offers were made and declined – will collaborate and explore their journey into work, empowering themselves and learning tools to build their resilience with weekly virtual workshops starting 4.11.24 for eight weeks.

So, in 2025 – will you choose traditional or innovative to secure your new talent?

CIS Security Limited
ISS A/S
SPS UK & Ireland
hashtag#NGBailey
Portico

Thanks to our applicant referring organisations who also jumped into innovation to help their awesomely talented, but currently unemployed people including:

David Steeds
Rob Matthews (Anna)
Matthew Izekor
Southwark Council – Care Leavers

Who hates Mondays?

Jane JamesLeave a comment

Many in the wrong job will know that Sunday night feeling of dread.

Boomtown Rats had a No 1 hit about this very subject back in ’79.

At Growing Talent – we LOVED this Monday! Our 38th Employer Speed Dating event – aka 1st mutual stage selection.

Uniquely, this followed an in-depth ‘getting to know you’ event held for the first time last week – so there was already a connection between candidates and employers. Takes the heat out of nerves a little.

Conversation flowed. As did the laughter and smiles. Who thought recruitment could be this much fun?

In small groups, Antoinette, Dejanae, Elizabeth, Filsan, Hosil, Luliia, Leena, Mark, Jibrail, Niketa, Rahime, Riaz, Sarah & Yohana met the employers again from SPS CIS Security Limited #NGBailey, ISS A/S & Portico to get to know each other a little more.

Feedback on the new format from employers and candidates was 100% positive – so it’s a keeper!

Next steps are currently being decided by the employers – so the suspense for our awesome candidates continues a little longer.

A huge thanks to our employers for giving their time to be part of Growing Talent including Daisy Dean-Grundy, Stacey Walker, Bernie, Lois Collins Tom & Soraya, Alison Compton & Rakesh Joshi, Gemma & Nikki, Gina & David, Lillian, Nid & David from NG Bailey – also Phil and Esther who joined in the fun for a while.

How amazing for the new partner at our sponsors Alex to make diary time to come along with Adam Bushell to see Growing Talent in action! Thank you!

Check back to see what happens next!

Thanks also to the cheerleaders at JobCentre Plus and Southwark Care Leavers

David Steeds

Rob Matthews (Anna)

Matthew Izekor

The numbers are in!…..

Jane JamesLeave a comment

What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been mobilising the latest Growing Talent which sees the launch of a new format where applicants and employers get to know each other BEFORE the selection stage.

Let’s take a look at the numbers:

71 applicants referred by JobCentre Plus and Southwark Care Leavers requested the virtual Zoom information session.

36 talented, currently unemployed people joined the virtual presentation to learn the new format, additional resources available to them and the benefits they will get from participating.

17 registered to attend the next stage on 8 October!

Employers, get ready to meet some awesomely talented people on Tuesday!


Thanks to everyone involved….. including your awesome teams behind the scenes 👏 👏 👏
David Steeds
Rob Matthews (Anna)
Matthew Izekor
Pertemps Network Group
SPS UK & I
Portico
CIS Security Limited
ISS A/S

Also the magical Adrienne Simpson who makes everything happen and Growing Talent sponsors Allen Salmon Adam Bushell 🎉 🎉 🎉

Funka, Dr Strangelove, Cast Iron, Rocket…..

Jane JamesLeave a comment

….Songs from the 80s?

….Films from the 50s?

….Cocktails? – potentially!

Cocktails, for me, should be visually exciting and have discernible flavours.

Songs and films are incorrect – although potentially great titles!

Cocktails is potentially correct in the right coffee brewer’s hands!  Read on.

They are just some of the awesome coffees on display at Extract Coffee London just off Bermondsey Street.

I’d been invited by @Growing_Talent’s sponsors to pitch the programme and additional resources on ADHD, @I-Act and general team empowerment training to their supply chain held yesterday at this London gem!

Arriving early, as usual, Veena gave me 1:1 insight into Extract’s beginnings, their credentials, their partners – at home and across the globe, their connections with organisations focussing on enabling those who need it to close their own social mobility gap through skills training ready for the world of employment.  Which led nicely on to the science of coffee.

You may have heard of WSET – home to the Wine & Spirit Trust – whose qualifications are sought after by the hospitality industry as well as individual wine enthusiasts. Did you know there is a science to coffee too? I absolutely didn’t.  I was shown the various different beans, how they are produced by farmers and used in Extract’s coffee in different ways. 

Did you know the mainstream coffee shops use only one type of coffee bean? 

Some coffees are great for gut health and have a lot of fibre in – who knew!

Seeing the areas used to train people in the diverse world of coffee production, learning the different careers available and the industry awards on offer showed the passionate, social inclusion core of Extract Coffee – and the public can even buy their unique coffees and teas on line! Amazing.

The pitch to the supply chain went really well with lots of questions and engagement.  

After the team – including award winning Chloe – showed how coffee can be used in the composition of cocktails and mocktails. Of course, I had to try the martini! I love a fancy glass.

Check Extract Coffee out online and make a difference whilst enjoying your unique cup of morning coffee

http://www.extractcoffee.co.uk

1.   The cocktail/mocktail demonstration – and tasting!

2.   Coffee martini

3.   Chemistry of coffee – beans and bottles denoting if the solutions are sweet, salty or bitter

4.   Examples of current equipment used in training

5.   Refurbed coffee grinder

6.   Another training area

Thank you everyone for the most amazing experience, especially Ben Noah and Adam Bushell for inviting me and the awesome members from ISS A/S, SPS UK& Ireland, BaxterStorey, Portico, #CIS-Security #NGBailey and Electrosonic

Growing Talent Arrives in Birmingham!

Jane JamesLeave a comment

Currently unemployed?
Live in Birmingham?
Able to get to the City Centre?
Over 18 ? (no upper age limit)
Have Right to Work documents in place or Government share code?
Want to secure a role where your employer will invest in your training and development?
Looking for a job you can grow into a career?

Why not consider applying to Growing Talent?

We are coming to Birmingham City Centre for our information and application event on 26 February 2024.

If you are interested in attending, send an email to jane@thejjc.net stating the area of Birmingham you live and the JobCentre Plus office you come under.

Alternatively, you can speak with your JobCentre/Work Coach direct.

Growing Talent is not a Government programme. You cannot be mandated to take part nor are you automatically given an opportunity.

A business funded initiative, Growing Talent brings together insightful employers, JobCentre Plus, West Midland Combined Authority, community partners and you – currently unemployed talent.

Deadline to register your interest to participate is 21 February 2024.

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

More employers!

Jane JamesLeave a comment

Our collaboration with @JobCentrePlus and @WMCA in #Birmingham is growing!

@BaxterStorey and @Portico have confirmed attending @Growing_Talent’s Employer Speed Dating event at the end of February joining @PilgrimsRiskManagementGroup and @Pertemps.

If you are an employer in Birmingham and want to recruit a unique way, why not join us?

Get in touch to find out more!

Shoutout to Jacqui!…..

Jane JamesLeave a comment

Growing Talent is all about collaboration with employers, the unemployed, JobCentre Plus and their partners.

For 10 years, we’ve been doing things differently.

Ripping up the traditional recruitment ‘rule book’, replacing cvs and formal interviews with Employer Speed Dating and 1-2-1 meetings, we’ve seen some fabulous unemployed people step out of the shadows and shine!

Growing their confidence to not only believe in themselves but prove to be an awesome addition to their employer and team.

From the start, Carmen of Pertemps and her London team led by the dynamic duo known as Jamie and Pedro, have supported Growing Talent year on year.

Not only have they recruited multiple people into their own business training them in the niche field of recruitment, but also matched some into direct employment.

The Growing Talent collaboration has literally changed multiple lives of people from diverse social economic backgrounds, some bruised by life into jobs they’ve grown into careers and literally soared.

Now, for our planned programme in Birmingham, Jacqui who manages the Pertemps team in Birmingham is joining us.

We all keep growing – including the Growing Talent programme!

Thank you Pertemps for your awesome support and a massive shoutout to Jacqui !

@Pertemps
@Growing_Talent

Sometimes a little disruption to the norm is needed!

Jane JamesLeave a comment

The screenshot above is part of a post Bolaji issued on linked it and contained a number of her excellent suggestions on who to recruit better.

I reposted Bolaji’s thoughts with my own and how we’ve disrupted the recruitment norm:

@BolajiShote illustrates what recruiters of integrity have been saying and doing for years! The points Bolaji sets out are simple, clear and logical for recruiting employers to follow. I might put them in a slightly different order of importance to me.

#Ghosting – remember, people will never forget how you made them feel. Not feeding back after an interview can leave people feeling worthless and negatively impact their performance at their next interview. But here’s the other thing to remember that could directly impact those ‘Ghosters’ – the candidate you have ghosted could be interviewing you in a few years time – they won’t forget you…. ever.

Growing Talent we recognised a little disruption to the norm was needed.That’s why almost 10 years ago Growing Talent commenced – no cvs, no formal interviews, therefore, no assumptions. Almost 200 people aged 18-64 from all different social economic backgrounds have secured jobs they have grown into careers which they would never have secured through the traditional recruitment method.

Our collaboration with #JobCentrePlus, their partners, #Employers our global
business funders and the #GrowingTalentAssociates going on the journey delivers an empowering, confidence boosting experience building connections and support on the journey into work.

The #Orientation and #Holistic week delivers core workplace and personal skills that last a lifetime including accreditation in a global mental health and wellbeing programme in line with #ISO45003 enhancing the onboarding and retention experience with the employer.

An assigned mentor for both the employer and Growing Talent Associates ensures a smooth journey.

Doing things differently:

·     Advertising – via David Steeds & his work coach warriors at JobCentre Plus & partners.

·     Their interested customers join an information session 

·      1st stage selection – Employer Speed Dating – fast, loud with a lot of laughter in the room as people put down their ‘armour’ and be themselves.

·     2nd stage is a 1-2-1 meeting with the employer on their site to find out all
aspects of the role. 

·      Orientation and Holistic week

Finally a mutual evaluation paid period in the permanent role commences. This means at the point permanent contracts are issued, both sides are confident the match is right for them – without a single “what is your strength and weakness” question! 

No recruitment costs either!

Keep doing the same things, you will keep getting the same results.

Thank you to all our collaborative partners over recent times:
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Pertemps Network Group
Masterfix GB Limited
SPS UK & Ireland
Pilgrims Risk Management Group
Honeywell
ISS A/S
Portico
BaxterStorey