Mims Davies, Minister for Employment visits charity WeMindTheGap and Moneypenny
Mims Davies, Minister for Employment visits charity WeMindTheGap and Moneypenny
January 31st, 2020 – WeMindTheGap welcomed the Minister for Employment, Mims Davies to the heart of the charity, with a visit to the Moneypenny HQ in Wrexham, North Wales. Rachel Clacher (CBE) founder of WeMindTheGap and co-founder of Moneypenny alongside Joanna Swash, CEO of Moneypenny were pleased to give Mims Davies an insight to how the charity and the largest local employer are working together to act upon the lack of provision for vulnerable young people in the community and beyond.
WeMindTheGap gives new opportunities in life and work to underserved young people in our local communities through running totally holistic twelve-month employment programmes, delivered with unashamed love and care, for ten young people at a time. Participants are unemployed, young people aged 18-25, often referred by agencies such as Leaving Care, Youth Justice, homeless hostels and refuges.
The programme comprises six-months of paid employment, five varied work placements, one-to-one life coaching sessions, new experiences and essential skills. Followed by six-months of continued support, focusing on wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem to help each young person develop and achieve their goals. The charity which started in Wrexham now runs programmes in a growing number of communities: Wrexham, Flintshire and Manchester. In March 2020, for the first time, the charity is running a pilot programme for young men in the Borough of Manchester City Centre.
Last year WeMindTheGap was recognised by The National Lottery Community Fund: an award of £1.1 million was granted to the charity, which means by 2023 the charity will have the infrastructure to run 16 programmes across Wales and the North West and will employ 160 young people and have over 450 graduates.
Moneypenny, the world’s leading outsourced communications provider, is the largest private employer in the area with over 700 staff and provides opportunities for WeMindTheGap candidates to get valuable work experience in different departments. Several candidates have been employed by Moneypenny after successfully graduating from their traineeship.
Rachel Clacher, CBE comments “We were delighted to welcome Mims Davies and have the opportunity to introduce her to our wonderful past and present participants of the programme at WeMindTheGap and Moneypenny. Our programme is so valuable in offering young people the opportunity to move into full-time employment and a way out of difficult circumstances. We have ambitious plans to roll out the charity further, help more young people and are always looking for local government and business partners to support our upcoming programmes.”
Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP says “It’s extremely refreshing to visit a company that recognises the real value of giving people a second chance and the right skills to get ahead. I’ve seen first-hand how this focus is changing the lives of young and talented women, many of who are escaping a troubled past.”
About WeMindTheGap
Founded in 2014, WeMindTheGap, formerly known as the Moneypenny Foundation, directly
address and challenge social mobility in the communities of Wrexham, Manchester and Flintshire. The charity gives new opportunities in life and work to under-served young people by providing a holistic 12-month programme, comprising of six-months of paid employment, five varied work placements, one-to-one life coaching sessions, new experiences and essential skills. Followed by six-months of continued support, focusing on wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem to help develop and achieve their goals.
Contact:
Jessica Hanley
PR and Marketing Executive
Email: jessica@wemindthegap.org.uk
About Moneypenny
Moneypenny is the world’s leading outsourced communications provider, delivering telephone answering, live chat, switchboard and multichannel customer services. Moneypenny works with businesses of all shapes and sizes, from sole traders right up to multinational corporations. In the UK, Moneypenny has over 750 staff, a figure that is growing at a rapid rate and has offices in Charleston, USA. The company was founded by a brother and sister team in 2000 and currently handles over 15 million customer communications a year for 13,000 businesses. Moneypenny is proud to have won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and has been recognised six times in The Sunday Times ‘100 Best Companies to Work For.’
