Four young people (aged 16-24) from disadvantaged backgrounds in Birmingham have been recruited by DHL Express over the Christmas period in collaboration with the DHL UK Foundation and Street League, the UK’s leading sport for employment charity.
The new recruits will work at the DHL Express service centre in Sutton Coldfield to help manage demand over the peak Christmas period and will get involved with shipments destined for locations around the globe.
Chandler Oliver-Thompson, now an Operations Processor at DHL Express was offered a permanent position with the company after he undertook a four-week placement of 100 hours in 2019. Chandler says, “I was feeling demotivated about my future job prospects but taking part in Street League really helped me focus on what I wanted to achieve. I have learned new skills, made some new friends and started to earn a regular income. DHL is a large company and I have had gained confidence from the support I have received.”
Latest figures show that 800,000 young people across the country are not in education employment or training (NEET)[1], and in 2018 13.1% of 16-24-year-olds in the West Midlands were considered to be NEET. Street League aims to tackle this by breaking down barriers between young people and employers through a combination of confidence-building sport sessions, accredited learning and practical tips like CV writing and interview preparation.
This latest intake takes the number of people securing a role via the programme to over 100 in 2019, and 150 since the partnership began in 2018.
Marie McCarren, Operations Manager at Street League Birmingham says, “Young people in Birmingham face a wide variety of barriers and our partnership with DHL provides an incredible opportunity to get paid work experience and employment”
Ian Wilson, Chief Executive Officer UK&I at DHL Express says, “Being involved with Street League has been incredibly rewarding for us and we welcome the diversity that these young people bring to our teams. We regularly find that, when in the workplace, they can really develop and thrive, and many have gone on to become permanent colleagues within the business.”
