Social Value supports the strategic delivery of priorities to meet skills and employment needs in the Surrey region. It is particularly a helpful platform in advancing equality in skills, recruitment and pay, combatting modern slavery, and increasing training and employment opportunities for those who face barriers, including the disadvantaged and under-represented members of the community.
Why is it important?
Being in paid employment contributes to an individual's financial independence, sense of identity, social connections, physical and mental health and well-being, and self-confidence. However, barriers to employment opportunities exist and impact individuals from a number of backgrounds such as: those with physical and learning disabilities, care leavers, ex-servicemen and women, the homeless, ex-offenders, survivors of domestic violence, and those who are forcibly displaced, among others. In addition, modern slavery and human trafficking continue to operate within existing business and supply chains.
What are we trying to achieve?
Through Social Value, we wish to:
- Increase representation of the disadvantaged and under-represented members of the community in the workforce in Surrey through increased meaningful training and/or employment opportunities for those who face barriers to training and employment.
- Promote best practice and community wellbeing through Social Value being embedded in business processes and principles, which would help tackle work inequality and ensure commitment to fair recruitment and employment practices, as well as working conditions.
- Combat modern slavery and human trafficking affecting supply chains, commitment to Modern Slavery Act 2015.
- Help people to benefit through improved careers education, information, and guidance, linked to clear learning, work and career pathways.
- Help businesses to prosper by making our skills system more responsive and be better informed on the skills needs and requirements of employees.
- Deliver a step change in our skills system through enhanced purposeful collaboration between business, anchor institutions and skills providers.
- Strengthen the pipeline of priority skills to meet employer demand, recognising the need of both SMEs and larger businesses.
What practical things can be done now?
There are several things you can do now to help deliver Social Value in employment. Some ideas are set out below:
- Offering work experience, work placements, internships and apprenticeships to locally based groups, particularly council priority groups. Examples include deprivation areas, over 50s, SEND, ex-offenders, care leavers, women returners.
- Supporting in educational and training opportunities to improve vocational and educational pathways, improving future employment opportunities.
- Offer digital training to locally based digitally disadvantaged groups
- Outline the steps they are taking to prevent modern slavery in their activities and supply chains
- Provide employability support for council priority groups, such as mock interviews, CV support and careers information.
- Offering your employees with children or caring responsibilities flexible working.
- Mentoring for Care Leavers aged 25+ who would like advice and guidance and can no longer access SCC Care Leavers Service.
- Conversion of employment from 16-18 to apprenticeship and accreditation. OR Employment without accreditation converted to a suitable apprenticeship and offer of work. Mechanism to start offering employment to 16+ without accredited training.
- Spend money in the local supply chain within Surrey, supporting the local economy and employment.
- Employ local Surrey people within your business, and supply chain.
- Support employee wellbeing and personal development through community and environmental volunteering programmes
- Offer training and development opportunities to SME's.
How can we measure our impact?
We can measure the additional social, economic and environmental benefits of Social Value in a number of different ways. Here are some examples:
- Total percentage of full-time equivalent (FTE) people employed/on apprenticeship schemes/on other training schemes.
- Measurement of activities with the Surrey community, particularly those in priority groups.
- The percentage of local residents paid the minimum living wage of the area.
- The number of external stakeholders engaged.
- Identification of impact of social value through evidence such as feedback, photographs and surveys in line with Surreys priorities and objectives. Examples include raising aspiration, getting 'real life work experience', raising opportunity awareness, engaging the disengaged, developing soft skills.