Midcounties Co-op says it has supported more than 50 people over the last year through partnerships designed to remove barriers to work.
The retail co-op’s employability schemes include the Fairer Futures programme, a partnership with Birmingham social enterprise Miss Macaroon, and Fairer Access to Work, a collaboration with the Aspire Oxfordshire charity.
Both programmes offer participants opportunities to gain retail experience, with Midcounties also offering the use of a dedicated store space for work skills training and counselling, alongside one-on-onr mentor support from colleagues.
Fairer Futures, launched in 2023, works with young adults under 30 who have faced barriers to work, such as disability, experience of the criminal justice system or raising children alone. Fairer Futures is a partnership with Miss Macaroon, a Birmingham-based social enterprise that produces macaroons while providing career opportunities for young job-seekers.
Fairer Access to Work helps people experiencing challenges such as homelessness and poverty, including refugees in the process of being resettled, to find secure work. The scheme involves a partnership with charity Aspire Oxfordshire to provide work experience placements in Mindcounties’ food retail stores including Marston and Rose Hill.
The placements “allow individuals the opportunity to develop their work-related skills, gain confidence in a supported work environment, and gain knowledge and understanding of how retail environments operate, building their employability”, says Aspire.
During the process, participants have access to person-centred employment and development support from Aspire, working with a dedicated support worker to identify gaps in their work skills and gaining a professional work reference as part of their job searching activity.
In the past 12 months, more than 30 local people have been supported through the Fairer Futures programme, and over 20 have taken part in Fairer Access to Work. Fairer Midcounties says participants enjoyed increased confidence and reported feeling more secure in themselves after completing the schemes.
Of those taking part in the programmes, 37 have now secured employment.
Tarra Simmons, head of community and democratic engagement at Midcounties, said: “Everything we do is guided by our members and our commitment to building a fairer, ethical and more sustainable future. These employability programmes are a powerful expression of that purpose in action, helping to remove barriers, restore confidence, and open doors for people who are often overlooked or need more of a helping hand.
“By working in partnership with like-minded organisations, we can ensure that our impact for the communities we serve is real, lasting and rooted in the values we share.”
