Compass Group UK & Ireland launches career hub for people struggling to gain employment
- The platform has been launched as part of Compass Group UK & Ireland’s Mission to a Million programme
11 August 2023: Compass Group UK & Ireland has launched a new career hub specifically for people who are struggling to gain employment. The Social Partner Hub will support candidates from a range of backgrounds who are facing barriers to entry into the job market. These include ex-offenders, care leavers, long term unemployed and people with disabilities.
The platform is being launched as part of Compass’ Mission to a Million commitment, which will provide support to one million people by 2030 through jobs, training, community engagement and development. Mission to a Million forms part of Our Social Promise, the company’s wider social value strategy.
Working with a range of partner organisations, the platform will match candidates with job opportunities and internships available at Compass. In recent years, Compass has already provided hundreds of work placements and jobs across the UK, for those who have traditionally found it difficult to find work and aims to significantly increase this through this new tailored recruitment process.
The career hub will help to provide support for people struggling to access work, ensuring that the hiring process is inclusive and caters to the needs of each applicant. Compass hiring managers will also undertake training to better understand some of the challenges faced by different candidates, help identify roles that may be suitable and also the support the individual will require to ensure everything is done to ensure the job or work placement is a success.
To mark the launch of the Social Partner Hub, Compass hosted an event this week at the Imperial War Museum in London with existing and potential charity partners to talk about the opportunities that will be available. Some of the 60 partners that attended the event included: National Autistic Society, Scope, Maximus, The Clink, Clean Sheet, Ingeus Restart Scheme, and Career Transition Partnership.
Commenting on the launch, Amanda Scott, Talent, Learning and Diversity & Inclusion Director at Compass Group UK & Ireland said:
“We’re delighted to be launching the Social Partners Hub to provide opportunities to disadvantaged people struggling to access employment. At Compass, we are incredibly proud that we offer the first rung on the career ladder to these people regardless of their background. As part of our Mission to a Million, we want to be a force for good and a real driver of social mobility in the UK. We look forward to working in collaboration with our partners to achieve our shared goals of equal opportunity and access to employment.”
Chrissie Williams, Partnership Manager, Clean Sheet added:
“We’ve been working with Compass for over a year now. Their team are brilliant and advocate for our Clean Sheet Members (people with convictions) with hiring managers who understand our ethos. Compass has a meaningful attitude to help people move forward with a variety of opportunities, in lots of different industries, and it means that our Members can find something to suit their skill set. You have a fair recruitment process in place, and we feel confident that people are not pre-judged but are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, which is so important. This portal and the case-by-case consideration for people with convictions really is the gold standard.”
Jenny La Rocque, National Account Manager, Ingeus Restart Scheme commented:
“We must remember there is a reason why so many unemployed people are unable to apply on-line for certain positions. Many unemployed people have become disengaged and feel they are being ignored. This portal will be a great start and we’ll continue working in partnership with Compass to provide valuable feedback. We care passionately about working with partners who treat our candidates with dignity and respect.”
