CSR Update – Yorkshire

Endeavour awarded YORhub 4 Good Fund

Endeavour, a small national charity which works with disadvantaged young people, has recently been successful in securing a grant from the ‘4 Good Fund’ run by YORhub, supporting economic regeneration across Yorkshire and the Humber.

Donna Howard and the team at Woodside have been working closely with Endeavour over the last eight months, providing support and small maintenance works on the charity’s buildings, and knew the charity had been trying to source funds to start its new kitchen project to provide life skills to help young people live independently. Donna advised Endeavour of the fund, and Kier Construction agreed to sponsor the project.

Not only did Endeavour secure a grant, they were awarded the maximum £10,000, which will cover the cost of the kitchen project!

We wish the team at Endeavour every success.

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Leeds Beckett Apprenticeship Seminar

Donna Howard was recently asked to support Employment Leeds by delivering a presentation at Leeds Beckett University on the 15th November. The seminar enabled businesses to speak directly with parents of students aged 16-18 in secondary schools and colleges in Leeds, showcasing opportunities across employment sectors, highlighting skills gaps, and providing information on apprenticeship programmes and the new Apprenticeship Standards and Degree Apprenticeships.

The seminar was a great success and we received some great feedback from both Employment Leeds and from some of the attendees.

Tracey Greig of Employment Leeds said, ‘You came across about how passionate you were to attract new talent into the industry and you provided young people with information which enables them to make informed choices. That’s so important at a time when careers advice is on the decline.’

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Yorkshire Enterprise Advisors

Enterprise Advisors are the cornerstone of the Careers & Enterprise Company’s national network of high-calibre volunteers with experience of employment of self-employment who work closely with the leadership team of a school or college. They support the school’s careers strategy, provide access to local business networks, and help to focus efforts on programmes or activities to motivate young people and support independent choice. Donna Howard signed up to be an Enterprise Advisor a year ago, and was paired with her former secondary school in Sheffield.

She has been promoting this role across the Yorkshire business, and has since signed Julie Steward, Senior Business Development Manager, and Terry Cocker, Senior Project Manager, up to the project. Both are now paired with a school and have already started undertaking great work to support young people.

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Hatfield Prison Resettlement Event

Donna Howard was recently invited to support a resettlement event at HMP Hatfield on 21st November. HMP and YOI Hatfield is a category D resettlement prison on the outskirts of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and tries to provide offenders with opportunities to increase positive outcomes and reduce re-offending.

Donna provided information on roles and routes available in the construction industry, as well as talking about work experience opportunities.