Helping parents into employment with international bank Nomura
News article from October 10, 2017
“I’ve rediscovered myself and skills I had forgotten I have. I feel more confident that my CV is full and interesting.” – Mum of two children
Many of us take it for granted that we could ask a friend or colleague to give our CV the once over. We may have had the chance to be involved in recruitment, read any number of CVs or had some tips from a professional recruitment agency. The parents we work with have very limited sources of support and advice. Nomura’s talent fill that gap, and it’s often much easier than volunteers anticipate to make a big difference.
School-Home Support (SHS) and Nomura have been working together to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and families. As well as providing valuable financial support, Nomura’s talent is valuable resource – one we can draw on to directly help the children and families supported by SHS. Employment Skills Workshops are a perfect example of how Nomura and SHS work together to add real value to disadvantaged families. Deputy Head Teachers understand just how important it is to offer this level of support to their parents.
“I would like to thank all the Nomura Volunteers for the wonderful support that you have all given to our parents. As the evaluations indicated- the parents found the session to be very beneficial in terms of making progress with their employment. The session also had a great impact on building self-confidence and motivation for many of the mothers. Once again. Thank you very much!!” – Deputy Head of one of the primary schools in Southwark
Getting parents into employment is beneficial, not only in terms of improving family income levels, but also in helping parents and children make the link between doing well at school and future employment opportunities. The parents we support really appreciate the chance to spend one to one time with people who work in business and get some hands on practical support. For a number of parents, the Employment Skills Workshops we run with Nomura provide the only opportunity for help and support with drafting a CV, applying for jobs and interview skills. The value Nomura staff bring to the parents is tangible; Mums who have stayed at home to look after children, have qualifications from other countries, or have run their own small businesses often don’t realise the skills they have. Asking open questions, providing a bit of encouragement and offering mentoring type support makes all the difference. One Mum ran her own small retail business, she didn’t realise this was relevant experience, or appreciate the skills she’d developed.
“I will continue to work on my CV and send it out. Ling Ling changed my perspective on my work experience. I used to think it was bad that I used to own a business. She made me realise it was good.” – Mum of two children
We’ve run two of our Employment Skills Workshops with Nomura’s talent this month. The morning workshops are held at local primary schools and start promptly after school drop-off. School-Home Support Practitioners based in the schools identify parents who would benefit and Nomura volunteers get to work! The sessions are genuinely impactful for everyone involved, some parents get their first ever CV drafted or hands on help to refresh an existing CV. Nomura volunteers work hard to help parents identify skills they have and have loads of hints and tips on how to make a CV stand out.
The proof of the pudding is in the feedback from Nomura staff and parents :
“A really rewarding experience as the help that you’re offering makes a tangible difference to someone’s job hunt and their future career prospects. I would definitely recommend this to colleagues.” – Annabel Thorn, Nomura
“A very positive opportunity to use my skills to contribute and support others. In addition, it improves and focuses your own communication skills.” – Raj Sangha, Nomura
“I found out about how to restructure my CV, wording is critical, and knowing how to link it to what I am looking for.” – Mum of two children
Thank you, Nomura!