City first stop on our journey to transform 100,000 lives
LIFE for many is harder than it’s ever been, and for some, the challenge is almost impossible. The cost-of-living crisis is well and truly affecting our friends, families, neighbours and communities.
Rising energy bills and the cost of food increasing, with even basics like milk, pasta and bread costing more than ever – has helped push the UK to its highest inflation for over 40 years.
However, despite the uncertain outlook faced, there is still a proudness, and hope and tenacity that runs right through the Midlands, that sits in the very heart of the region we serve.
In Birmingham especially, there’s still the excitement in the air following the Commonwealth Games, the legacy it will leave and proudness and togetherness felt by Brummies lives on. And it’s with that hope and outlook in mind, that we’ve announced a 10-year vision, to help change 100,000 people’s lives, starting right here, in Birmingham.
Our vision is ambitious, but simple. It’s to simply help others and give people the tools and access to opportunities that could transform lives. We’re going to face into and look to tackle the underlying causes of poverty to help break the current cycles of unemployment and lack of opportunities faced by many and give 100,000 people an improved chance in life.
Why do we want to do more to help? Our role in the community is much more than just a water company. With around eight million customers, we can reach a lot of people. We’re leading the way with our environmental commitments; we have a community fund that donates around £2m a year to local charities and community projects and we’re one of the largest employers in the Midlands, and created 500 kickstart placements for young people at risk of unemployment.
The ever-moving economic landscape which means our customers’ needs are changing. Alongside the increased support we provide to customers struggling to pay their water bills through our affordability and support programmes it’s clear that we, along with other businesses, need to rally together, and help.
And that’s exactly what we’re aiming to achieve with this bold 10-year vision and a set of interventions for change.
Children are six times less likely to go into any meaningful employment if they don’t take part in any work experience. And it’s for that reason that every year, we’ll aim to provide 500 work experience placements for children across hundreds of schools. We’ll look to deliver 10,000 hours of free community skills and employment sessions to anyone on a range of topics – like confidence building, presentation skills, CV writing – things many of us take for granted. We’ll also host and run ‘pop up’ academy and learning hubs right in the hearts of the communities we’re helping.
It’s no secret that Birmingham, specifically East Birmingham, is one of the most overlooked areas in England. Average household income is around £12k, compared to rest of England at £19k. This has a knockon effect to mental wellbeing, future prospects. To launch our 10-year plan – we’ll first focus on Birmingham. To learn and develop our plans, before rolling out to the wider Midlands and reaching more areas that can be often overlooked with prospects.
It’s about understanding our communities that are rich with skills and talent and giving them access to opportunities that perhaps they haven’t had before. That’s why we can’t do this alone, a key element to the success is to create a network of local partnerships, who like us, are committed to helping and doing the right thing.
And that’s what’s already started in Birmingham, but we’re only at the very beginnings of this ambition. We’ve already established partner schools who understand the importance of work experience placements and how it can motivate and help students fulfil their dreams and potential.
We’re also working in partnership with Birmingham City Council – as part of their East Birmingham Inclusive Growth Programme – with a view to inspire more partners and supporters to help us. But there’s always so much more that can be done, and now’s the time to do it. We believe, if other businesses and organisations like us, no matter how big or small can come together and work with our communities side by side, a brighter future for all of us lies ahead.
Children are six times less likely to go into any meaningful employment if they don’t take part in any work experience.