Grapevine

26 July 2024

Welcome to this week’s Grapevine, the place to get your bitesize FM updates in one place, in a handy five-minute read.

Got a story for us? Please send news stories & press releases to: newsdesk@twinfm.com.

ISS Creates New Career Opportunities With Launch of New Security Apprenticeship Schemes

As the world celebrates International Security Officer’s Day (July 24), ISS, a leading workplace experience and facility management company, is proud to launch a new suite of security apprenticeship schemes to expand career opportunities for those working or wishing to work in security.

The scheme will allow ISS security employees to work towards a nationally accredited and recognised qualification, offering scope for career progression and personal development, with the support from ISS to study whilst working. These apprenticeships will also help to open up new opportunities for a wider talent pool, including people from marginalised groups, by giving them the right skills to bring them into a sustainable employment.

Training will be available for both new and existing employees who want to learn and develop through the Professional Security Operative Level 2 programme, which runs for a duration of 12 months. Further, existing employees, who are looking to retrain or upskill within the industry, can enrol on the15-month Security First Line Manager Level 3 programme.

Beginning later in 2024, apprenticeships will be delivered by Skills for Security, ISS’s UK security training partner, through a combination of face-to-face and online learning and cohorts will run on a quarterly basis. Eligible applicants will be enrolled, and their full study fee will be funded by the ISS apprenticeship levy.

OCS Wins Large Employer of the Year Award at West Midlands Combined Authority Adult Learning Awards in Partnership with Pilot IMS

OCS UK, a leading employer in the region, has been honoured with the Large Employer Award by West Midlands Adult Learning in partnership with Pilot IMS. The award recognises OCS’s outstanding commitment to workforce development and community engagement.

OCS has harnessed the power of Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) to empower West Midlands residents. These innovative programmes designed by Pilot IMS with our full support focuses on the security, events, and venues industry—a vital sector for the regional economy. By collaborating with Pilot IMS, OCS has created a pathway for individuals facing long-term unemployment to access meaningful employment opportunities.

Through SWAPs, participants undergo a rigorous four to eight-week practical and tailored training course, equipping them with essential skills for roles in security, visitor management, and stewarding. All programme learners receive guaranteed interviews with OCS, ensuring a seamless transition into employment.

OCS also actively engages with each potential recruit, ensuring their training aligns with the company’s business needs. Live observations and assessments take place at prominent venues, including the NEC, Resorts World Arena, and Utilita Arena Birmingham.

OCS’s exponential growth in the West Midlands has created hundreds of part-time and full-time opportunities for local residents. The SWAPs programme establishes an ongoing pipeline of referral opportunities, even reaching multiple members within the same families.

Portico Celebrates 20 Years of Guest Services Leadership 

Portico, the market leader in premium, tailored guest services, commemorates two decades of excellence and innovation this summer.

Portico started with a single City contract in 2004. Since then, it has grown its geographical reach extensively, and now creates bespoke guest experiences for over 230 locations across the UK and Ireland, including landmarks such as 22 Bishopsgate and 20 Fenchurch Street. Serving the professional services, commercial property, tech, media, retail, visitor attractions and the premium residential sector, Portico has gained countrywide recognition for its bespoke approach to guest services, which includes everything from overseeing reception, meeting and event spaces, cultivating dynamic and innovative workplace communities, to managing cycle parks.

Over the past 20 years, Portico has experienced remarkable growth, expanding its workforce to over 1,000 employees in 40 cities across the UK and Ireland. Known for its positive working culture and commitment to equal opportunities in learning and development, the company boasts high employee retention, with 70% of current staff having worked at the company for longer than a year. Portico's L&D Portfolio was recently accredited by The Institute of Learning and Performance (LPI – the only professional body dedicated to workplace learning, recognising its forward-thinking approach and benchmark for excellence.

Portico, a leader in high-quality, tailored guest services, last year unveiled a comprehensive ESG strategy called "Second Nature," aimed at fostering inclusive workplace, nurturing talent, fostering progressive partnerships, and stepping up environmental efforts. The strategy, built around four pillars, underscores Portico's commitment to providing a positive workspace for its people, a welcoming space for guests, and a flourishing partnership with clients, all while minimising its environmental impact.

Service with Heart has been Portico’s motto since the beginning. To mark this significant milestone in its history, Portico is asking all team members to take part in 20 unique acts of kindness in line with its “people-first” ethos. Among these initiatives is the inaugural Senior Leadership charity day on July 12th, which aligns with the nationwide charity movement, Big Help Out. As part of this event, Portico's senior leadership team have rolled up its sleeves to paint the Head Office of Home-Start Lambeth, a local charity based in Brixton, which provides practical assistance to families in the Lambeth area facing challenging circumstances. Other examples include river clean-ups, educational volunteer sessions, charity coffee mornings, clothing donations, and even a charity piano recital. The company has also committed to various fundraising activities, including charity runs, with the aim of raising £20,000 to mark its 20^th anniversary – a figure it is on track to treble.

19 July

Chequers Partners with Onwards & Upwards to Support Ex-Offenders

Landscaping and arboriculture service provider Chequers, part of Churchill Group, has partnered with the charity Onwards & Upwards to support the training and employment of ex-offenders. XO Bikes is an initiative of Onwards & Upwards that provides ex-offenders with bicycle repair training.

During the six-week course, trainees work towards an industry-recognised Velotech qualification. The programme supports all trainees in finding employment in bike repair or elsewhere at the end of the course. Repaired bicycles are then sold, with the profits being used to support the next training cohort.

Chequers, as a specialist service provider to Social Housing clients, sometimes comes across damaged and abandoned bicycles on its grounds. Once Chequers confirms with its housing clients that bikes are abandoned, it will collect and donate these to Onwards and Upwards. In May, Chequers collected 30 bikes from its various clients and donated these to the charity.

Ex-offenders continue to be a vulnerable group, with many leaving prisons without qualifications or employment. By backing the scheme, Chequers is supporting Onwards and Upwards in its mission to ensure that ex-offenders are given as many opportunities as possible while also reducing the possibility of re-offending. Recycling these bikes also has a positive impact on the environment.

Naomi Childe, managing director at Chequers, said: “Onwards and Upwards is an impactful charity whose values align with ours. By reusing these bikes, we’ll continue making a positive impact on the environment while also supporting ex-offenders into work. Chequers remains an organisation committed to social values in all that we do.”

Ollie Harper, operations assistant at Onwards & Upwards, said: “We’re grateful to Chequers for the generous bike donations. Like us, they care about the legacy on both the planet and on some of the most marginalised people in society. We’re looking forward to working with Chequers to lessen the chances of re-offending.”

OCS Announce Plans to Increase Apprenticeship Placements to Over 1,000 in the Next 12 Months as Part of Growth Ambitions

Leading facilities management (FM) service provider, OCS, has made a commitment to increase its number of apprenticeship placements in the UK and Ireland to over 1,000 in the next 12-months, along with making investments in its funded learning programme.

With the company’s recent announcement of its vision to make people and places the best they can be as part of its brand strategy, the move reinforces its commitments to social mobility and impact.  This includes driving social value initiatives, such as apprenticeship schemes and funded learning, to improve sustainable employment by providing empowering careers and embracing diversity.

OCS has experienced a 140% growth in the uptake of its apprenticeships over the past year and aims to continue this upwards trajectory by offering opportunities for each of its service lines – facilities management, security, pest control, cleaning, catering and hospitality and hard services.

The FM provider, based in Ipswich, currently offers 12 professional pathways and 39 programmes to support its business units. In addition to its service lines, this includes opportunities in management and leadership, coaching and mentoring, and customer service and sales. With a focus on investing in the development and upskilling its internal colleagues, these pathways and programmes are open to both employees and external candidates.

Apprenticeship pathways will be available at entry level (level 2) and for management (level 3), and OCS is currently in the process of revising its higher apprenticeship pathway (level 4) with the Institute for Apprentices and Technical Education.

Toni Marie-Vaughan, head of social mobility at OCS UK and Ireland, commented: “Whilst it’s important that we continue to open up more opportunities for people who are looking to develop, our priority will always remain on the quality of programmes delivered. We are working with a number of partners to help do this.

“Additionally, we have made further investments into our online training modules which are delivered through the OCS Academy. Learners can tap into all kinds of programmes in addition to the training that is structured around the pathway they have chosen. Along with e-learning and on-the-job training, learners can expect regular line management meetings and coaching conversations, time for studying away from practical training, and progress reports,” she added.

Daniel Dickson, chief executive officer at OCS UK and Ireland, said: “It’s exciting that we operate in an industry which can provide opportunities for further development within many different career paths. Our apprenticeship scheme and funded learning pathways are accessible to everyone, regardless of their age, gender, background, level of education or experience.

“It also opens doors for people who might not have been able to progress their careers previously due to other commitments and are now looking to transform their lives. As a company, we’re proud to support their ambitions and help them take that next step on their career journey.”

Former Construction Students Lead Major Renovation at Building College

A team of ex-students from Leeds College of Building has returned to their roots as skilled construction professionals, ready to start a major £750k refurbishment project.

Fit-out specialists Lodestone Projects has kicked off a summer renovation programme at the College’s North Street Campus. The eight-week plan will rejuvenate the site and create contemporary and accessible facilities, including transforming the library into a spacious student enrichment area.

In an extra twist, numerous Lodestone staff are current or former Leeds College of Building students who were only too happy to return to where they first learnt their trades.

Lodestone Joint Managing Director Josh Donnelly explained: “Many Lodestone staff said returning to the College will be a very nostalgic project. In fact, a lot actively requested to be involved in this job as they were keen to revisit the site where they trained after all these years and give something back!

“Lodestone currently has two joiners training as apprentices at Leeds College of Building, including our site manager’s son, Will King, who will be working on this project. We have taken on at least ten joiners in the past who also qualified as carpentry and joinery apprentices through the College.

“Our project manager, Josh Turner, was one of those former apprentices and has progressed up through the ranks. Likewise, our quantity surveyor, John Brightmore, is a former Leeds College of Building student, and I expect a good number of the regional decorators, electricians, and mechanical contractors involved will also be former alumni.” 

The planned works at North Street Campus is part of a broader upgrade programme to bring the site in line with the College’s modern South Bank Campus. Alongside contractors Lodestone, design consultancy Fuse Studios will oversee the interior design and Turner & Townsend the project management. 

The team are already familiar with the College’s needs, having worked together on the South Bank Campus construction. The second phase of the Hunslet site was completed in 2019, adding a state-of-the-art 5,200 square metre, four-storey building to the College’s estates.

Leeds College of Building Vice Principal for Finance & Resources, David Pullein, added: “We’re thrilled that our established partners Lodestone, Fuse Studios, and Turner & Townsend are coming together once again to support us with our vision. It’s great to get the team back together to create accessible, modern student facilities… and even more poignant for us to employ so many construction experts who trained with us at this very site!

“We want everyone, including our female students and learners with additional needs, to feel welcome and supported. This new vibrant space will be warm and inviting, as well as being positioned in a very visible part of College. It’s vital we offer exceptional and inclusive learning environments to attract the diverse workforce needed to meet huge industry demands.”

The refurbishment project takes place over four floors, beginning with the full refurbishment of the current Learning Resource Centre. The library will be transformed into a large student enrichment zone with gaming area, TV lounge, meeting room, new Student Services office with service counter, fixed seating study area, and a high-level co-working bench. 

The ground floor student enrichment area is part of the College’s wider strategy to boost accessibility. Not only will the area be better located near the entrance, but it is also designed to be an inclusive and safe space that is welcoming to all students.  Flexible furniture will allow the room to be transformed into an exam space, accommodating up to 80 tables. 

The reception and cafe area will then be upgraded to a larger communal space following the initial work. After new flooring, power, IT, and redecoration are complete, corridors and staircases across floors will also be refurbished with new wall graphics and energy-efficient LED lighting.

The upper levels of the building will then be reconfigured to create a new learning resource centre, additional teaching spaces, new teaching and support rooms, and a new staff training room in place of the old student common room.

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