News Articles Archive - Page 133 of 140

On Thursday 19^th November 2015, CRP’s Recruit London initiative held a successful ‘Supporting Local Talent’ event to celebrate the work of our new Specialist Workplace Coordinator Sylvia Kankasa, and encourage local businesses to offer employment opportunities to job seekers with disabilities and health conditions.

The event was hosted by Councillor Rachael Robathan, Cabinet Member for Adults and Public Health, and Councillor Iain Bott, Deputy Cabinet Member for Adults and Public Health from Westminster City Council. Attendees included Aqua Restaurant Group, Debenhams, The Crown Estate, Shake Shack, Hilton Hotels, Gallowglass Security LLP and St Christopher’s Place.

We were delighted to generate over 36 pledges, ranging from employers promising to host workplace visits to working with us to’ job carve’ vacancies to suit a wider range of candidates. To get involved please email: skankasa@westminster.gov.uk

Councillor Bott interviewed a Recruit London candidate who has faced barriers to work, and offered a wonderful insight into a highly skilled individual with a huge amount to offer, but just who needed adjustments or support in the recruitment process. Sardia, from Double Tree by Hilton, spoken about why engaging in this work benefitted their business. Helen Macfarlane, from the Business Disability Forum, spoke about why it makes good business sense to consider disability as a core part of business, and support and employ local skilled candidates from a diverse pool.

Businesses also left with information on how they can make adjustments in the workplace to enable them to become ‘Disability Confident’, and provided access grant funding to support their employees via Access to Work.

The event was a huge success and is just the beginning of what we are sure will be a successful project to create opportunities for local people from the widest possible pool of local talent. We are working with attendees to secure opportunities for Westminster’s residents.

This month has seen the first Westminster residents starting work in the Covent Garden area, as a result of Benjamin Laryea’s work through our Recruit London initiative. Ben joined Cross River Partnership in October and is a Workplace Coordinator based within property company Capital & Counties CG Ltd (Capco) who link him with their Covent Garden occupiers.

Ben has been working closely with Paperchase to help them recruit for their Christmas Sales Assistant roles and has delivered his first successful job outcomes in the Covent Garden area. Ben promoted roles to our partner network inviting Jobcentre Plus, City West Homes and the Local Employment Services Team to put forward candidates. Ben selected six Westminster job-seekers who were well-matched to the brand and jobs available, and provided training and support to prepare them for the roles. Ben arranged direct interviews with the Store Manager.

Four out of the six candidates were successful and within a week, they had completed their induction and started in store – they will receive their first pay-check before Christmas. They will continue to receive support for six months to help them do well in their new jobs, and Ben will continue to work with the other two candidates to help find them alternative roles. This adds to the 1,200 residents that Recruit London have already supported into work.

The Recruit London project is also currently recruiting for more jobs in the Covent Garden area: Sales Assistant jobs at Miller Harris; Stylist and Stockroom roles at Jo Malone; and Bar staff, Waiters/Waitresses at The Famous Punch and Judy. Roles are open to Westminster residents who are currently out of work. Contact Ben Laryea at blaryea@westminster.gov.uk for more information.

CRP are currently recruiting to the following two positions:

– A Business Engagement Project Manager to manage and deliver a range of business facing projects which will deliver outcomes in central London across four main areas: sustained employment opportunities, air quality and carbon reduction, economic growth and prosperity and making places that work. Projects include working with businesses to support and encourage them to offer family-friendly opportunities, and encouraging businesses to carry out Delivery Servicing Plans. The closing date for the role is 10th December. Further details can be obtained here: https://jobs.westminster.gov.uk/vacancy/project-manager-246065.html

– A Workplace Co-ordinator to specifically work with Lambeth residents to deliver a Jobcentre Plus Flexible Support Fund project whilst also contributing to the wider Recruit London team. Workplace Co-ordinators engage directly with employers to access their vacancies and support, train, and screen job seekers to help them into the roles available. The closing date for this role is 3rd January 2016. Further details can be obtained here: https://jobs.westminster.gov.uk/vacancy/workplace-coordinator-246496.html

We are extremely pleased to announce that Lewisham Council has formally joined Cross River Partnership as our newest member.

This follows the recent CRP Board meeting where members welcomed the suggestion of inviting the London Borough of Lewisham to the partnership. Lewisham will be represented by Councillor Alan Smith, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Growth and Regeneration, and Robyn Fairman, Head of Strategy, at future CRP Board meetings.

Lewisham is part of the central-London sub region for upcoming funding opportunities such as the European Social Fund. As CRP develops new projects and funding applications, we will invite Lewisham to join these in order to bring benefits to their residents and businesses.

We are looking forward to working with Lewisham! www.lewisham.gov.uk

The twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) is taking place from 30 November to 11 December 2015 in Paris, France. Despite significant sticking points to be discussed at the conference, strong political momentum has built worldwide, giving hope that this conference might in fact lead to a universal and binding climate agreement.

700,000 people took part in climate marches across the world the weekend before the conference opened. However, a survey revealed that two thirds of the UK public are unaware of the talks. Here are some of the most important facts:

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and has been ratified by 196 States, known as the State Parties. Essentially, at COP 21 countries will look for ways to limit global warming to two degrees, which is considered as the threshold beyond which global warming becomes catastrophic and irreversible. Negotiations will include targets to phase out fossil fuels, targets for renewable energy and about making each country’s contributions legally binding. The majority of commitments have been submitted prior to the conference by 178 countries covering more than 90% of global emissions. However, even if these current pledges are met, they will still not be sufficient to limit global warming to 2°C.

Besides the political momentum, the engagement of non-state actors at the conference is encouraging. Big corporations and financial institutions, such as Unilever, Ikea and Allianz have made substantial commitments and divestment vows have increased considerably. But as Michael Dickstein, Director of Global Sustainable Development at Heineken (a CRP-led FREVUE demonstrator partner) puts it: “The real work starts when COP21 has found the resolution, […] making sure it isn’t something written on paper, but something that is put into practice.”

For more information, please see http://unfccc.int/meetings/paris_nov_2015/meeting/8926.php

The first week of the talks sees negotiators work on the draft text. During the second week the official COP will begin high-level negotiations about the remaining key points. The last few days of the conference will see the final ‘plenary’ meeting at the most senior level. Every country can veto the agreement. A unanimously approved document has never been achieved, but observers claim this is the most political momentum they have ever seen at a COP.

On the 21st January 2016, The Mayor will announce the London Regeneration Fund winners. Ahead of this, the GLA Regeneration team is commissioning a series of films and photographs to profile a selection of successful regeneration projects from the past 5 years.

This is an exciting opportunity for people to nominate others who have benefited from Mayoral investment, and who can provide an example of the positive difference being made to Londoners every day.

The GLA wants to ensure that the platform represents the diversity of the Capital and the many fantastic projects taking place. They are looking for case studies ranging from small place shaping and public realm projects to much larger infrastructure projects.

Respondents are invited to submit up to 3 projects, including details of people the GLA can interview, the name of the project, a few lines about the project and its outcomes, a photograph and any other relevant information to Stephanie.joslin@london.gov.uk (cc Beth.Lackenby@london.gov.uk) by midday on Wednesday 9th December.

CRP’s Clean Air Better Business programme is offering a unique opportunity to gain free advice and a bespoke Delivery Servicing Plan for your organisation.

Changing the way organisations operate can deliver: saved money with lower operating costs; fewer freight vehicles on local roads; improved air quality; improved security of deliveries & servicing; corporate social responsibility objectives.

Corporate organisations such as John Lewis, the London School of Economics, the Financial Times, and most recently the Roundhouse, are leading the way to become Delivery Servicing Plan trailblazers, for others to follow.

If you are interested and would like to find out more please contact CRP’s Air Quality Champion – Uto Patrick.

A parallel programme is also being delivered by CRP targeted on Oxford Street West in partnership with NWEC, WEP and Westminster City Council. Interested organisations should contact CRP’s Project Manager – Charlotte Knell.

In October 2014 Cross River Partnership published Sustainable Urban Markets – An Action Plan for London setting out 28 proposals for improving street and covered markets in London as centres of enterprise and civic and cultural value.

One of the key recommendations of the SUM report was the creation of a Markets Board for London to provide a strategic level focus on markets in the capital; to cohere and build alliances of collaboration within an atomised sector that employes 7,000 people and turns over around £615m a year.

Positive steps were taken in July when the Association of London Markets agreed to support the creation of a Markets Board, working in partnership with the GLA, national representative bodies, private operators, CRP and others. A further step was taken in recent weeks as these parties came together to plot a course aimed at delivering a Markets Board in 2016.

CRP Place Making Project Manager, Owain Jones, said: “There is a way to go before a Markets Board comes into being, but all the key players are pulling in the same direction. Everyone involved recognises the role markets play in terms of commerce, enterprise and livelihoods, and the need to sustain them as civic assets that weave a rich and binding thread thorugh the very fabric of the city.”

CRP’s successful URBACT-funded Freight TAILS project has completed its trans-national kick-off meeting in London. The project will develop Tailored Approaches to Innovative Logistics Solutions, sharing best practice between cities across Europe. Transport for London supported the project by presenting all of its latest freight plans to the partners.

The two-day kick-off meeting was interspersed by a project partner dinner, hosted by CRP’s Board Co-Chair, Councillor George Gillon of the City of London Corporation. We were honoured to be joined by the Deputy Mayor and Councillors from our partner cities in Romania and Spain, as well as senior officers from our partner cities in Italy and The Netherlands.

For more information please contact CRP’s Freight TAILS Project Co-ordinator: cknell1@westminster.gov.uk

CRP welcomes Branavan Sivarajah as the first CRP Apprentice. Branavan will be joining CRP on 23rd November to undertake a Level 3 Business Apprenticeship over a period of 18 months. Westminster City Council through ‘City for All’ is committed to helping young people into employment. The apprenticeship scheme is delivered in partnership with the London Apprenticeship Company and CRP is pleased to be able to offer this opportunity.

Archives: News Articles

Supporting Local Talent event – 36 pledges received

CAPCO and CRP: Recruit London Delivery

CRP is recruiting!

Cross River Partnership welcomes new member

COP 21 – 2015 Paris Climate Conference

London Regeneration Fund invites film submissions

Delivery & Servicing Plan Trials

Markets Board for London moves a step closer

Freight TAILS Kick-Off Meeting

Welcoming CRP’s Apprentice!