Encore’s HR and Recruitment Manager gave his time recently to support the “Green Team Project”, an employment and skills project run by community charity Groundwork East. The scheme helps unemployed people to engage in a community project in horticulture and landscaping, whilst gaining qualifications and helping them to become work ready.
Joining representatives from housebuilder Urban & Civic and Cambridge United FC to form a mock interview panel, he met and interviewed the Green Team participants before offering invaluable feedback to help improve their performance in the future.
Members of the “Green Team” had already received 13 weeks’ training doing a variety of soft landscaping tasks including creating a pond, building a path for disabled access and understanding the basics of garden maintenance.
The format of the day – which took place at Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium – allowed the experts time to provide solid advice on the team’s CVs as well as how they presented at interview, and to provide suggestions about what they could do to sell themselves better. The event was all about meeting some of Groundwork’s key aims: to help people gain confidence and skills, get into training and work, protect and improve green spaces and overcome significant challenges such as poverty, isolation and low skills. Applicants for the “Green Team” projects are all unemployed and can be aged between 19 and 65.
The Mayor of Cambridge Councillor Gerri Bird presented attendees with certificates of achievement for all that they have accomplished during this 13+ week intensive course. The event was such a success that two of the team have subsequently attended “real life” job interviews.
Groundwork UK – of which Groundwork east is a part - invested £88m into communities, supported 24,000 community groups with 400,000 volunteer days and planted almost 7,000 trees in 2018 alone. For more information about Groundwork and the work that they do both here and overseas - please check out their website here.
