A partnership between Yorkshire Building Society and food redistribution charity FareShare is celebrating helping more than 450 people improve their employability prospects in its first year.
The project is called Building Skills for the Future and it has seen 60 participants go on to secure employment.
Building Skills for the Future is a unique employability programme funded by Yorkshire Building Society and facilitated by FareShare’s network partners at locations across the UK, including Yorkshire, Merseyside, London, Bristol, Milton Keynes, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
The programme is tailored to the needs of the community it is delivered in.
It is designed to support, equip, and prepare people for employment through work experience, qualifications, and CV and interview skills workshops.
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Offering work experience
The programme also offers participants the opportunity to obtain work experience in a warehouse and kitchen environment, learning skills such as picking and packing, logistics, stock management, and core cooking skills.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to obtain food hygiene and manual handling accreditations.
Participants, who are referred via FareShare’s network of more than 8,000 charities, can also experience CV workshops and mock interviews with external companies.
Attendees who complete the course are supported to apply for jobs with companies in FareShare’s network of contacts throughout the food industry.
In addition to those who have signed up to the programme and gone on to enter paid employment, 125 said they had learned new skills or gained knowledge.
Carl Hawkes, director of operations at FareShare UK, said: “Building Skills for the Future programmes have been established across seven of our network partners thanks to the generosity of Yorkshire Building Society, its colleagues, and members.
“We are already starting to see positive results, with hundreds of people engaging with the programme, and many entering employment.
“Through our employability programmes, we help people make the most of their strengths, overcome barriers to employment and create opportunities that can transform lives. Our partnership with Yorkshire Building Society will help thousands of people improve their skills, seek long-term employment, and help to lift them out of financial hardship.”
Fundraising
Yorkshire Building Society has already raised more than £475,000 to fund the Building Skills for the Future programmes.
The partnership will continue until June 2026 and the mutual aims to raise over £1m to fund the programmes, alongside an outreach programme offering free face-to-face sessions and workshops building important skills such as job searching and improving financial wellbeing.
It is hoped that the two programmes will help 2,500 people improve their employability prospects and help them become more financially resilient.
Susan Allen, chief executive of Yorkshire Building Society, said: “Our partnership with FareShare has been running for a year and we are already seeing positive results from the Building Skills for the Future programme.
“We’re aiming to help lift people out of financial hardship by supporting them to develop skills to improve their employability. Those who take part in the programme gain valuable work experience and practice key skills like CV writing and interviewing.
“Already, 60 people who have completed the programme have gone on to paid employment, showing that investing time and knowledge can help people build the skills and confidence to change their lives.
“As a mutual, our purpose is to provide real help with real life, and the Building Skills for the Future programme is helping us to deliver that.”
