Education, All big ticks

Signet Trading Ltd – Raising Aspirations of Tomorrows Workplace

“I feel really proud to work for a company that empowers us to add value to the local community”.

Sheelagh BrooksLearning and Development, Signet

In May 2007, as part of its CSR strategy, Signet worked alongside BITC to implement a Schools Partnership Programme with two schools in Birmingham after Signet staff indicated a strong desire to adopt a school. The partnership programme aimed to improve pupils’ employability skills, increase aspirations about the world of work, expand networks and joint learning , as well as enhance the learning environment in schools.

The Story

The Birmingham offices of Signet are located in the boroughs of Hockley, Aston and Lozells which  are amongst the most economically deprived urban areas in the UK. The indices of deprivation place the postcode in the 4% of most deprived areas in the country and notably in the bottom 5% for employment and 16 % in education. As the largest employer in the area, Signet recognised its potential to work to improve its surrounding community.


After working in consultation with the BITC West Midlands Region, Signet chose one primary school and one secondary school to maximise impact and engagement. After a series of meetings with both schools, 12 month action plans were agreed, focussing on Reading and Numeracy, Enterprise and Employability. Programmes included NVQ work placements, work experience days, enterprise days and practice interview sessions. To date, 922 pupils and 97 Signet employees have participated in some element of the programme.

Impact

Business Impact

  • Labour turnover decreased from 22% in 2007 to 7.5% in 2010 – which can in part be attributed to Signet’s CSR engagement
  • Savings made in employee development costs – 39 volunteers have been developed
  • Award for school partnership work – Signet won the business Link A&B People Development Award
  • Following the success of the Enterprise Days, Signet’s stakeholders have shown a keen interest to participate in future school partnership activities

Society Impact

  • 82% of pupils participating in Right to Read sessions improved their reading by at least one level
  • 9 pupils were placed on NVQ placements with a further 9 completing one week placements
  • 90 pupils attended Signet Enterprise events with 300 year 9 and 11 students taking part in practice interview sessions
  • 8 Signet employees have become School Governors

See also

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