On 21st July 2016 the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs will take part in a telethon hosted by recruitment company PageGroup at its offices in Moorgate, to help boost the number of blue chip work experience opportunities for Tower Hamlets students. He will join a team of PageGroup employees who will spend the morning phoning their contacts to ask them to pledge work experience placements for the 1000 Club, an initiative run by leading education charity Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership.
The 1000 Club aims to secure 1000 work experience placements this year - specifically at City and Canary Wharf firms – for Tower Hamlets students aged 14 to 18. It follows the highly successful 750 Club launched by the charity in 2015 and represents a radical shift in how major firms provide work experience opportunities to students from less advantaged backgrounds. Prior to the 750 Club, large businesses contributed only 8% of the overall number of work experience placements needed by schools in the borough. Today, thanks to this initiative, that number fits at 25% and is expected to grow further with the 1000 Club initiative.
John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, says “I am delighted to be joining the PageGroup volunteers taking part in the 1000 Club telethon. It is really important that young people growing up in our borough feel engaged with the business world on their doorstep. This kind of work experience breaks down barriers and gives students greater confidence and insight into the business world that they will need to pursue careers at the big firms in our borough. For many young people unsure of how to break into the business world, a work experience placement like this can be truly life changing. Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership plays a vital role bridging the gap between businesses and schools, facilitating the work experience process, making it easier than ever to get involved.”
Nicholas Kirk, Regional Managing Director, PageGroup, says “We are delighted to be working alongside Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership to support the 1000 Club initiative. This activity fully supports PageGroup’s community programme which sees a number of consultants working with schools across the UK to help provide career skills such as preparing CVs, interview tips and advice. The involvement of the Mayor of Tower Hamlets supports our programme and highlights the increasing importance for us to prepare the future workforce by providing invaluable opportunities and we are looking forward to seeing the results on the day.”
Helen Sanson, Director of Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership, said: “We are very excited about the telethon and are enormously grateful to PageGroup for hosting it and to all the volunteers including the Mayor who are giving their time to support the 1000 Club. Their efforts are crucial because if we are to address the inter-generational poverty gap that exists in Tower Hamlets, young people growing up here need to see that these doors are open to them and see for themselves what it takes to succeed.”
Companies wishing to pledge work experience placements for the 1000 Club should contact Chloe Dalton at Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership. Email: Chloe.Dalton@thebp.co.uk Telephone: 020 7655 0300