Time for Plan B in East London

We learned a while ago at Clean Slate that it pays to assume that anything that can go wrong, probably will go wrong. Far from stopping us, or making us impotently risk averse, we've just become good at second guessing, managing liabilities and having a Plan B. So when the London Pleasure Gardens went into administration this week, we were neither sunk nor defeated.

Part of this is about the partners we work with. In this case, it's Green Stewards who have done their best to look out for our interests alongside their own - and they're considerably more exposed commercially. They've witnessed the positive impact the promise of paid work has had upon people generally written off by other employers. Not that it's been about caring and sharing; the goal has been to find people who are ready for work and eager to prove themselves. Clean Slate invested in finding people with histories of homelessness and long-term unemployment who mean business about finding work. Green Stewards invested in progressing them through NVQs in stewardship (Spectator Safety) and took us at our word that we'll find them capable people. If nothing else to date, we’ve proved the model works for us, for job seekers and for employers.

All this week, I've been tarting up my pitch to other employers going forward. The message is that Clean Slate can re-activate people but they need to stay active. I’ve been running induction sessions myself this week and, yet again, I watched the lights go on as jobless people realised their own potential and how Clean Slate might provide the stepping stones out of worklessness and off benefits. Like recharging a car battery, however, we now need to get them on the road to keep them charged. We have a basic business offer to provide temporary labour (and recruitment on a temp-to-perm basis) but add the social value – which somehow gets interpreted as risk.

The casualties then are the jobless people we’ve lined up for stewarding work at the Pleasure Gardens. Fifty of them. Proven as job ready and eager to get started, earning what they can to begin their journey towards financial independence. Most are stuck in the benefits trap but some are ready to take on as many hours as we’ll give them. Half of these workers have just about completed their stewardship NVQ (spectator safety), courtesy of Green Stewards’ investment. So much potential. Now the weight of responsibility is on Clean Slate’s shoulders to find them an outlet for putting to use everything they have to offer.

For me, this is the first fifty from the 10,000-plus people stuck in homelessness hostels. This pool is also the evidence that Clean Slate can make a difference to the 60,000-plus unemployed in East London, where we’re working with Business in the Community to create a legacy from the Olympics. We proved we can engage, prepare and supply the labour, now we need to create the demand and desire to make an impact on long-term unemployment among employers. (And, as I said above, it’s not about doing good, it has to meet a business need for labour too.)

So, where’s our Plan B now LPG has gone? Well, firstly we’re knocking on every door, promoting the talents of our special pool of temps. We’re hunting down every event organiser, every venue, conference centre, theatre… you name it. Anywhere that needs front of house, stewarding or customer care staff. We’re already talking to the Greater London Authority and they recognise their stake in our work. And Transport for London is exploring ways to get Clean Slate into their supply chain. We’re also making links with the Olympic Legacy people too. We have a small number of employers on side and a large network of partners in the homelessness field who have a vested interest in our temps’ success.

And we still have our relationship with Green Stewards, who we'll continue to work with and who pointed out yesterday with typical optimism that sums up our partnership: "You know, WHEN we get through this, everyone we work with will know that not only are we capable but we're pretty much bomb-proof and able to create success in the face of disaster." A sentiment inspired perhaps by the people we recruit.