Chequers has partnered with the Department for Work and Pensions and will be taking part in employability days today and tomorrow [July 20 and 21].
Today they will be at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, Westminster, celebrating the work of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and tomorrow they will be at a jobs fair at Wembley Stadium, London.
The covenant is one of three introduced by the UK government and follows on from the Armed Forces Covenant and the Care Leavers Covenant. The Churchill Group is delighted to have received the gold award from the Armed Forces Covenant and is currently signing up to the EDAC pledges.
It is a pledge taken by businesses to support women affected by abuse to enter, remain or re-enter the workplace.
For women who have suffered domestic abuse, access to employment is imperative to staying safe. Without a job, survivors are often unable to obtain safe and affordable housing or money to provide for themselves and their children.
Although EDAC focuses on supporting women, who are disproportionately affected by abuse, it also works with a network of partners and organisations who support men and other marginalised groups.
Chequers’ director Naomi Childe said: ‘It is great to be able to support the DWP’s efforts to help victims of abuse find new work opportunities.
‘It also enables us to diversify our workforce from a talented pool of women and raise awareness of domestic abuse.
‘We are well placed to be able to help, as we have two British Institute of Cleaning Science training academies, in one based in Arlington House, a mixed used homeless hostel and conference centre in Camden, and another in Croydon.
‘These enable us to support those who may be unemployed, searching for a new career path, or making the transition from homelessness to independent living.
‘And, as part of our Renovo joint venture with One Housing, we currently work with Beam, a social enterprise that supports homeless people through job training and employment. Successful candidates are employed by Renovo to provide service at One Housing sites and receive ongoing support and training.
‘This scheme has proved so successful we are looking forward to expanding it with the DWP and other partners.’
In a further bid to help unemployed people get a foot on the career ladder, Chequers will also be attending Wembley Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair at Wembley Stadium tomorrow. The event, which is being run by a number of partners, including the DWP’s JobcentrePlus, is expected to attract more than 4,000 visitors.
Naomi said: ‘We look forward to engaging with the local community and hopefully helping a number of jobseekers into rewarding roles within both Chequers and the wider Churchill group.’
