Business leaders testimonies

• Promoting alternative routes to employment

  Martin Baggs, CEO Thames Water led a Prince's Seeing is Beliveing visit to promote alternative routes to employment in Newham.

• Employability of homeless people in London

  Tim Jones, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, led a Seeing is Believing visit in 2011 focusing on employability and highlighting the success of Ready for Work to business leaders.

• Developing the role of SMEs in local economies and communities in West Midlands

  In 2011, BITC invited a number of small business owners to see how they could directly intervene to support young people’s literacy and employability in the Handsworth area of Birmingham.

• Reducing re-offending through business intervention

  In 2011, Alliance Boots mobilised top UK business leaders on behalf of HRH The Prince of Wales to look at what employers can do to help reduce re-offending.

• 2011 Creating momentum to revitalise the High Street

  Over the past year, BITC has made great progress on this agenda, working with business members with local presence to develop research, supporting on initiatives such as the High Street Fund and creating the impetus to act within the business community.

• 2011 Addressing hidden employability challenges in the South East

  In 2011, the Seeing is Believing visits held in the South East focused on the issues faced by young people to gain employment, specifically in areas which are statistically not perceived as being disadvantaged, but have localised challenges which businesses can help address.

• 2011 Generating alternative energies in the South West

  In 2011, The Prince’s Seeing is Believing and Dairy Crest invited business leaders from a range of industries to learn about the company’s leading renewable energy strategy and explore ways these could be transferred to their own operations.

• 2011 Integrating a culture of employee volunteering

  In 2011, Visa Europe, commissioned a tailored Seeing is Believing visit for its management team with the aim to improve senior leadership’s involvement, understanding and sponsorship of employee volunteering within the company.

• 2011 Opening dialogue about emotional resilience

  Research shows clearly the impact of Emotional Resilience issues on individuals, their work, families and the wider society. These issues were brought to light during a ground-breaking Seeing is Believing visit led by Stephen Lewis, Chief Executive Officer, UK General Insurance, Zurich Insurance Plc in 2011.

• 2011 Businesses spark interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

  In 2011, Business in the Community and Siemens plc, convened decision-makers from some of the UK’s biggest employers to generate new ideas to address the growing skills gap in the UK.

• 2011 Solving the UK skills equation

  In 2011, Costain and BITC hosted a Seeing is Believing visit to share their great experience addressing these issues and showcase some of the best existing solutions, because replicating and scaling up what works can often have a bigger impact.

• 2011 Breaking the cycle of unemployment in the North West

  In 2011, BITC, Enterprise-Rent-A-Car Company and Merseytravel invited business leaders from across the North West region to see for themselves how business can help break the cycle of unemployment in Liverpool

• 2011 “The positive impact business can make through employee volunteering is immense” says Robert Devey, CEO, Prudential UK & Europe

  In 2011, Prudential Plc mobilised senior leaders of some of the UK’s largest businesses, to go and see first-hand the powerful impact of employee-led volunteering on people, places and disadvantaged communities in London.

• 2011 Helping employers take the ‘Right Step’

  Over the past two years, The Prince’s Seeing is Believing programme has been a powerful vehicle for the Right Step project to engage East of England employers to work with prisons.

• 2011 Prudential takes a lead on promoting Mosaic

  In the winter 2011, Mosaic Board member Tidjane Thiam, Group Chief Executive, Prudential Plc, spearheaded a series of four Seeing is Believing visits, all led by fellow business leaders. The visits raised awareness amongst a hundred company leaders of the issues facing disadvantaged young people in the UK and the power of Mosaic to address them in some of the regions where it operates.

• 2011 Sharing insight to find alternative ways2work

  In 2011, pioneering business GlaxoSmithKline led a Prince’s Seeing is Believing visit to show the way towards more sustainable ways2work.

• 2011 Reducing re-offending in the North East

  In 2011, The Prince’s Seeing is Believing convened 14 North East based business leaders on two unique visits led by Greggs plc and the Esh Group, to understand the issue, look at best practice and explore ideas to improve solutions.

• 2011 Helping Y&H communities in the economic downturn

  In 2010/11, The Prince’s Seeing is Believing invited 50 business leaders to 4 visits led by Yorkshire Bank in Hull, Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield, to understand fully the social consequences of the economic downturn and explore how business could help tackle rising unemployment in the region.

• 2011 Tackling climate change in Wales

  In 2011, sponsored by the Welsh Government, five visits in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Wrexham and Bridgend, invited over 70 business leaders across Wales, to look at best practice and explore long-term goals for sustainability, including carbon reduction, innovation and technology, and employee engagement activities.

• 2011 Shire Pharmaceuticals Group Plc mobilised senior UK business leaders to support the UK's invisible children

  In 2011, Shire Pharmaceuticals Group Plc mobilised senior UK business leaders on a Seeing is Believing visit to explore what more could be done to ensure all young people have a chance to lead successful lives.

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