Unemployed volunteers improve Tarmac garden in Colchester

Unemployed volunteers improve Tarmac garden in Colchester

This week marks the completion of improvements to the garden at Tarmac’s regional offices in Colchester, accomplished by a group of unemployed local volunteers.

The group of seven came together for Green Skills, an employment training course run by community charity Groundwork Essex, made possible by funding from Tarmac, who will also give the team the opportunity to apply for positions within the company post course.

For the past five weeks, the group has been learning practical skills and putting them to good use in the Tarmac office garden. The team has prepared ground for planting, planted out a new hedge and installed new benches, to enhance the garden for staff to enjoy.

On top of this practical experience, five of the volunteers have worked towards sitting their tests for a CSCS card – the health and safety qualification that’s crucial for work in the construction industry – which will help them boost their job prospects.

Tarmac has also given the team advice around writing a CV, applying for jobs and all participants have had the opportunity to sit a mock interview with Tarmac staff.

Matt Suttcliffe, Groundwork’s Senior Employment Project Tutor, said: “The team have put in a lot of hard work to get the garden looking great, especially during the bout of cold weather. It is rewarding to see the finished garden, congratulations to the volunteers!”

Ian Darroch, Tarmac’s Area Director for Anglia added: “We’re proud to support Groundwork Essex with their employment training, as part of our commitment to building long-term local skills. It was great to see how the team collaborated together on this project and they did an excellent job. We now have a wonderful, lasting garden for our employees to enjoy and hope that the experience will help those involved achieve full-time employment.”

The post Unemployed volunteers improve Tarmac garden in Colchester appeared first on Charity Today News.

Powered by WPeMatico