general
Employ a part-funded student to help your organisation improve its sustainability
An exciting new placements programme is being launched in July 2015 across Gloucestershire to cultivate ties between pre-university students and businesses.
5 January 2015
It offers organisations the opportunity to work with highly motivated young people whilst promoting Corporate Social Responsibility by investing in the youth employment agenda.
The Big Green Gap Year (BiGGY) provides a wide range of benefits to both placement hosts and participants. Through July and August, the carefully selected BiGGY participants will complete two placements of one month during which they will deliver bespoke sustainability themed projects. Placement hosts will be fully supported by the Programme Coordinator in order to prepare useful and achievable projects to ensure placements are beneficial to all involved. Projects will engage organisations with opportunities to consider new strands to their work and alternative pathways for a better world.
With sustainability issues increasing in prevalence in all sectors, there is a demand for graduates with “the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society” (OECD, 2014). Whatever graduates are hoping to move into on completing their studies, finding more sustainable ways of living and operating businesses will undoubtedly be an issue they face. Ensuring pre-university students are keyed into the need for sustainability skills and knowledge in their particular field of studies and future employment pathways enables the emergence of work-ready plus graduates.
Numerous organisations are already signed up, offering themselves as placement hosts for BiGGY Summer Placements 2015 including Greenbuying.co.uk, the EAUC, Vision 21, The Banwood Trust, County Community Projects, and The Butterfly Garden. Having such forward thinking organisations partnering with BiGGY is extremely exciting and we hope to engage with more businesses and NGOs across the county in order to offer a wide range of opportunities to potential BiGGY participants. At present BiGGY is seeking organisations interested in offering themselves as potential placements in order to compile a database which can be matched to applicants based on both parties’ areas of interest.
Matt Roper of Greenbuying.co.uk is keen to support the launch of BiGGY Summer Placements 2015 as he recognises what an asset energised and switched-on young people can be within a business setting; he also has a strong commitment to supporting the development of youth employability skills. Matt is looking to develop a project for a participant working within his sustainable procurement company to support his staff to further their marketing, advertising and social media for engagement with the widest possible audience, including young people.
For further information and to sign up as a partner to the BiGGY Placements 2015 please get in touch:
Meg Baker BiGGY Coordinator – mbaker3@glos.ac.uk / 01242 715009
