Transport and enforcement services company Marston Holdings has partnered with the homeless charity St Mungo’s and Radical Recruit, a not-for-profit organisation which bridges the gap between disadvantaged job seekers and the business world to help some of London’s homeless people back into the workplace.
The pandemic has seen many of London’s homeless being temporarily housed in hotels across the capital. St Mungo’s case workers and Radical Recruit have been working with over 100 men and women, some as young as 18, preparing them for life back in the working world by assessing their interview and work readiness, supporting with CV development and running one-to-one interview coaching sessions.
Marston Holdings has run two recruitment days attended by around 40 people who heard about the company, its values and ways of working as well as available career opportunities. Interactive Q&A sessions helped put the candidates at ease and answered their questions prior to the formal interview process. Nine candidates have now joined frontline teams at NSL working on contracts including Camden, Islington, Westminster, and Lewisham. A further four candidates are being interviewed for other positions in and around London.
According to Emma Freivogel, founder of Radical Recruit: “ We are delighted to partner with Marston Holdings which has proved that ‘doing good’ and driving business success do not have to be mutually exclusive. The people we represent are often viewed through a lens of mistrust and assumed to lack the motivation, skills and abilities to secure and sustain employment. Subsequently, they are discarded on the ‘talent scrapheap’. This is a waste of human life, bad for business and detrimental to the economy. We are grateful that businesses such as Marston Holdings exist. Its leadership, especially in the current economic environment, is indispensable.’’
“I am really proud to have been involved in the project both from a commercial and personal social value point of view. Too often we overlook people based on their personal circumstances but when you dig deeper and get to know them, you realise that they have so much to offer and just need a helping hand to kick start their lives and reach their true potential,” added Paolo Orezzi, NSL’s Service Director.
Marston Holdings says the success of this partnership shows that it takes its social value responsibilities. The scheme has been met with real praise from clients in the four London boroughs and the company is looking to extend it nationally.
Picture features Lee Thomas-Wragg, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Radical Recruit (left), Paolo Orezzi and Kevin Makwikila, Case Worker at St Mungos (right)
(Picture courtesy of Marston Holdings)
