In the run up to Social Enterprise Day (17 November), Birmingham based social firm Citizen Coaching is celebrating the achievements of two employees, hoping to inspire thousands of young people looking for work or across the country.
With youth unemployment figures at their worst in nearly 20 years, Nate Sheridan, 25, and James Farrell, 23, were taken on by Citizen Coaching in 2009, both having been unemployed for more than six months.
Nate graduated from university with a Sound Engineering and Music Production degree in 2008, hoping to secure work in a recording studio. After several temporary positions, he eventually joined the increasing number of other young claimants struggling to even get an interview.
James left school at 16 and moved to Ireland a few years later to work as a labourer on his uncle’s farm. When the recession hit, he returned to Birmingham. “I started to sign on and I could feel my confidence fading away. As each day passed I knew I was moving further and further away from finding work, feeling trapped and frustrated,” says James. “Then eventually Citizen Coaching gave me a chance.”
Citizen Coaching started in 2005 to help individuals and businesses create better relationships by providing anger management courses, one to one counselling and executive coaching. Since joining the company, Nate and James have helped launch and develop two new ventures - Social Media Marketing Made Easy and Citizen Media Company – offering affordable website and social media services to small and medium sized companies across the Midlands.
“I’m constantly motivated because it’s interesting work and at the same time we’re also making a difference because we’re working for a social enterprise,” says Nate. “My skill set has grown massively in areas like marketing, design, sales, and generally in terms of how to run a business. We’ve been encouraged to develop new ideas and it’s a great feeling to be really valued.”
Martin Hogg, Managing Director of Citizen Coaching says: “We initially took Nate and James on a six month contract and they seized that opportunity to create permanent jobs for themselves. We believed in their potential to make a real contribution to our business, and it’s paid off enormously, for everyone. James has even started a business management degree at Aston University and the stability of work life has enabled Nate to settle down and start a family.
“What drives us, and thousands of social enterprises across the country, is improving people’s lives. There are many opportunities to work for a different kind of employer, a different kind of business, offering rewarding career opportunities that also put something back into the community. It’s really tough out there for young people right now, they are very vulnerable and at risk of being exploited by unscrupulous employers. Hopefully, by sharing our experience we can show what can be achieved by taking a chance on someone and growing a business in a socially responsible way. Nate and James have shown great entrepreneurial flair and may even go on to start their own social enterprise in the future, hopefully supporting others along the way.”
Citizen Coaching is offering free LinkedIn and social media training to help young people market their skills with a view to finding employment. For more information contact Martin Hogg on 0121 314 7075 or visit www.citizencoaching.com. END Notes
- About Citizen Coaching CIC. Established in 2005, Citizen Coaching CIC helps people to create more successful relationships at work and at home. Based in Birmingham, we provide anger management courses, one to one counselling, executive coaching and help create better business relationships through the effective use of social media and cost effective web optimised websites that can be easily updated. For more information contact Martin Hogg on 0121 314 7075 or visit www.citizencoaching.com.
Citizen Coaching is a Social Enterprise Mark holder (the national brand and identifier for social enterprises) and a full member of Social Firms UK (confirming that the organisation provides employment opportunities to people disadvantaged in the labour market).
- Social Enterprises are businesses that are set up to trade for a social or environmental purpose, reinvesting their profits for that purpose. There are around 5,500 social enterprises in the West Midlands, employing around 166,000 people. Nationally there are 62,000 social enterprises contributing £24 billion to the UK economy. For more information visit www.socialenterprise.org.uk, www.socialenterprisewm.org.uk, and www.socialenterprisemark.org.uk.
- Social Enterprise Day is on 17 November 2011 – a national day to raise awareness and recognise the achievements of social enterprises across the country.
- There are nearly one million unemployed young people in the UK and from August 2010 to August 2011 youth unemployment in Birmingham rose from 2,052 to 15,291 bringing the percentage of young people who are unemployed to 24.7%. This is the highest percentage of any city in the UK.