Developing a future workforce
TD is located in some of the largest cities in the UK - these cities fall into the 20% most deprived areas in the UK. Children in local communities achieve below average results in literacy and numeracy at all key stages, and 48.8% of children live in income-deprived households. The company has chosen to focus on creating opportunities for young people to experience the world of work and develop their literacy and numeracy skills. Numeracy skills are particularly important for a financial services organisation, both for future employees and future customers.
The company has established a number of programmes to combat these issues. TD supports the Right to Read and Number Partners programmes in Leeds and Manchester. 101 employees have provided 2,020 hours of support to young people listening to them reading or playing educational board games to develop knowledge and skills around reading and number work. These projects have had a positive impact on the young people involved. All Year 6 students who worked with TD Number Partners made 2 levels of progress from Key Stage One to Key Stage Two, and 90% reached government expectations of Level 4 and above. Children supported through the Right to Read programme showed an average improvement of 7.5 months in a child’s reading age. At the same time, 24% of employees involved in Number Partners said that had developed problem-solving skills and increased confidence.
TD also manages programmes that introduce young people to the world of work. 32 TD employees provided mentoring advice to young people in 2010, giving over 300 hours of support. Alongside one-to-one sessions, mentees also attend work experience placements arranged by their mentors. Young people were provided with the opportunity to develop their interview techniques, communication, team-building and interpersonal skills, along with knowledge of the stock market. Mentors reported that two mentees achieved higher exam grades and 40% of mentors saw increases in the confidence of their mentees.
Looking to the future
TD has demonstrated its leadership of the community investment agenda. The company has made a series of commitments to showcase its continued development and support of other companies on the road to excellence. These include:
- TD will develop formal relationships with all its community partners to ensure that both the company and the partner have a clear expectation of the outcomes of the relationship
- Raise a minimum of £75,000 for local and national charity partners over the next three years
- Introduce new programmes – World of Work and Career Kids – to continue to support the aim of creating opportunities for young people and to change young people’s perceptions of work and careers by 80%.
The company’s ability to strive for continuous improvement is a key reason for their success in achieving the CommunityMark and distinguishes TD as a leader in community investment.
For more information on TD’s approach to community investment, please visit http://www.tddirectinvesting.co.uk/about-us/corporate-social-responsibility/
