Business Action on Homelessness - Work placement

Business Action on Homelessness: Client placement

Business: Carillion Building

Date: July 2007

Location: Morrisons, Wednesbury Project, Birmingham

Business benefits included providing valuable experience and the opportunity to up skill our staff, increased staff morale, commitment and feeling “proud” of Carillion, widening the recruitment pool of potential employees, strengthening the diversity of the workforce and enhancing the Carillion brand.

Community benefits included supporting people affected by homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless back into the world of work, supporting people through the vulnerable period following the work training with Carillion job coaches and opening doors for the local employment market rather than through centralised recruitment routes.

Carillion is a National Partner of Business in the Community’s (BITC) Business Action on Homelessness campaign (BAOH), which assists the homeless in gaining meaningful employment. Our commitment to BAOH is demonstrated at the highest level, with our CEO John McDonough endorsing our subscription to the campaign.

BAOH is a unique partnership between business, homeless agencies and the Government. It aims to break the vicious cycle of ‘no job, no home’ by helping homeless people to find employment and live independently.

The placements Carillion provide are a catalyst for the homeless clients to change their lives, enabling them to experience the workplace in a non-confrontational environment, allowing their confidence and self esteem to grow as they are offered more tasks to fulfil. With this support, homeless clients are able to go into the job market to find work or permanent positions within Carillion or our supply chain. Below is an example of a placement completed by Anthony Hardware in our Building Business.

Details of Placement

Antony was the first client from BAOH to undertake a work placement on Carillion Building’s Morrisons, in Wednesbury construction project. His placement involved working closely with the operational side of the project team.

The placement was co-ordinated at local level by Lynda Kent, Project Secretary who was also Antony’s Buddy.

Description of duties

Antony was given sole responsibility of looking after a system called the hand recognition system which ensures site data and records are maintained. Anthony was also responsible for training personnel on how to use it. The remainder of his two week placement was spent assisting the site security guard with deliveries, updating the risk board, preparing the induction room and aiding the site engineer with Don’t Walk By’s.

As well as the obvious benefits to the homeless client the BAOH offers many benefits to the employee, notwithstanding the feeling of personal satisfaction from the direct and positive contribution to the development of someone who has experienced homelessness, the process will also up skill communication, management and interpersonal skills.