Annex
BACKGROUND TO PERTEMPS PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT
GROUP
1. Pertemps is the UK's largest independent
recruitment consultancy with almost 200 branches and associate
companies. As the part of the organisation with responsibility
for the delivery of Government Welfare to Work initiatives, Pertemps
People Development Group has two divisions, Pertemps Employment
Alliance, the operational division and Pertemps Training, which
offers a range of work based learning provision. Operating in
various UK locations, Pertemps Employment Alliance is a market
leader in it's field enabling disadvantaged job seekers to secure
sustainable employment and to overcome many of the issues associated
with social exclusion. The key to success is in the company's
ability to successfully facilitate the process of accessing the
workplace through one of the many employment programmes.
2. At PPDG, we run a range of motivationally
based programmes helping to build confidence and boost the self-esteem
of clients seeking employment. Cricket Without Boundaries, run
in partnership with Warwickshire County Cricket Club, enables
a significant number of participants to return to employment through
engagement in sport. In addition, we have devised and deliver
a range of innovative personal development programmes designed
to help people understand and realise their true potential. Qualified
and experienced staff enable people to explore the notion of limitless
potential, which can often be blocked by our own belief systems.
Through a variety of activities, people identify areas for change
and the techniques that can be used to manage this change. The
programmes are extremely "delegate focused", encouraging
full participation in a comfortable, safe and supportive environment.
3. Most importantly, we recognises that
everybody has a talent and we aim to provide the necessary support
to enable these talents to blossom, allowing individuals to use
them to build the basis of a career. For those with musical aspirations,
this support is provided through our Making Music Work initiative,
offering guidance and advice to work in the music industry. This
might be as a musician, technician, promoter or even teaching
in local schools.
4. PPDG passionately seeks to release the
talents that each of our clients holds within themselves. As a
result we will always encourage self-employment as a potential
career option to job seekers with an entrepreneurial streak and
who can demonstrate a sound business plan. Throughout the start-up
process, a PPDG development coach with specialised knowledge is
available to offer any necessary support. Our centres work alongside
Street UK, a charity supported by the high street banks providing
advice on business start-ups and helps those clients unable to
access traditional business financing. Arrangements also exist
with a number of the large banking institutions, including HSBC,
NatWest and Lloyds TSB and the Inland Revenue business support
team who deliver regular half-day workshops to clients in all
aspects of tax and VAT issues. Sustainability of work for self-employed
clients is very important to PPDG and the company employs the
services of its former clients wherever possible. The range of
occupations is endless from car valeters to a reflexology teacher
and sometimes the more unusual, including a private investigator
and a man who cleans up after a crime scene. In terms of sports
specific self employment our "Mini BICCS" Programme
is enabling young people with an interest and talent in sport
to train to coach a range of sports with the view to them becoming
self employed at the end of the programme. This programme involves
clients experiencing a range of activities within recognised sports
institutions giving them a knowledge of the various disciplines
involved in working within the sports industry, from front desk
to actual delivery.
5. This passion for releasing talent and
for developing communities is the driving force behind much of
our sports development work for adults in particular. Through
Pertemps Coachright, a not-for-profit organisation within the
PPDG group, we work with a large number of young people from a
wide range of backgrounds each year.
OUR INVOLVEMENT
IN COMMUNITY
SPORT
Range of activity
6. PPDG offers both wet and dry sports.
These range from team games such as football, rugby, basketball,
cricket, netball and hockey, through to individual small group
activities such as martial arts, health and fitness circuit training,
conditioning exercise classes. Our range of outdoor activities
covers activities such as cycling, walking, outdoor pursuits,
outward bound, fishing (as and when required). In taking forward
each of these sports we endeavour to work with community groups,
or the community focussed division of local clubs, eg we have
developed a joint programme in Teeside with the Mohawks basketball
team's community arm "Hooped Dreams". This programme
combines basketball with a citizenship programme, thus addressing
wider social issues through the medium of sport.
Scale of participation
7. Some three thousand children and young
people are engaged with on an annual basis. Children range in
age from five upwards with the majority being between 5-14 years
of age. On a weekly basis, we have contact with some 500 young
people, either directly through Pertemps Coachright or in partnership
with other agencies who subcontract from us.
8. The young people we work with come from
a variety of backgrounds. Some are engaged through Mainstream
Education, whilst others work with us as part of the Alternative
Curriculum. A growing number of children who are either at risk
of exclusion, offending, or display the characteristics of Anti-Social
Behaviour are also participating in our programmes. Many young
people participating in our programmes are from disadvantaged
neighbourhoods. Our programmes can also help children and young
people with special needs, moderate learning difficulties, or
moderate forms of disability.
9. Much of our involvement with adults is
linked to our motivational programmes which seek to re-engage
adults into employment by demonstrating their abilities and in
particular their transferable skills which may then be awarded
by accredited qualifications thus better equipping them to enter
the workplace. This initial motivational work can also be developed
further with a growing number of adults leaving our programmes
with a coaching qualification.
Mode of engagement
10. Participation in our programmes is most
efficiently achieved through the marketing and publicity provided
through our partner organisations. As the quality of the provision
and the benefits both to the individual and to the wider organisation
are recognised, key workers such as those in the Connexions Service,
Pupil Referral Units, Youth Offending Service, Drug Action Teams,
Youth Service and other voluntary sector partner organisations
are delighted to market our services to Young People. Where programmes
are more generic and seek to engage those who are not engaging
with any of the statutory or voluntary agencies, we use Outreach
Workers to identify and engage with participants. This is particularly
the case in some of our initiatives for adults, for example our
programmes for Lone Parents which operate through the Employment
Zone and Aston Working Neighbourhoods project. Very little direct,
traditional marketing is used.
11. Whilst these measures ensure a sensible
number of children and young people attend our activities, their
retention on the programme is dependant on a number of other factors:
— Variable challenging activities.
— Progression routes to permanent development
of sport for life, such as positive exit strategies to club sports.
12. When monitoring our activities three
key areas are always considered:
— How effective is the service? Does
it meet the needs of the participants.
— Is the delivery efficient? This is
usually achieved where the participants—and particularly
young people are involved in the ongoing development of the programme,
ie, they need to "have a voice".
— Learning Outcomes? What have we learnt
in order to improve the service; services will not be sustainable
if they do not meet the aspirations and expectations of their
participants.
4 April 2005
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