THE ELBA COMMUNITY AFFAIRS TRAINEE SCHEME (CATS)
The Community Affairs Trainee Scheme (CATS) was developed in 2005 for Tower Hamlets graduates who are interested in working in the City or Canary Wharf and learning more about Corporate Community Involvement (CCI). To date all of the graduates have been from the Bengali community. The programme was developed in conjunction with Tower Hamlets College after funding was secured via NRF (Tower Hamlets Council) and the Equal ESF community initiative, as part of the Fresh Futures in Financial Services Development Partnership.
The aim of the CATS programme
The programme has 2 key aims:
We believe that this is an innovative scheme that has two-way benefits. The trainees are provided with invaluable experience that will help them to secure permanent employment. The companies obviously benefit by having an extra pair of hands for a several months but they also benefit by having a local person within their team providing them with a unique insight into the Tower Hamlets community. This should help to ensure that their CCI programmes are relevant and sensitive to the needs of the borough.
How it works
We recruit 6 trainees each year and pay them an allowance of £15,000 pro rata per annum. The trainees spend their first 2 - 3 months at ELBA receiving training and work experience. They are then placed in the Community Affairs Department of a large corporate company for a further 7 – 9 months.
The training programme
The trainees are based at ELBA for the first 2 – 3 months where they are given work experience and training. Each trainee is allocated an ELBA mentor who provides support for the duration of the scheme.
The training programme is extensive and focuses on four main areas: understanding community needs, understanding corporate community involvement and understanding the private sector. There is also extensive training on personal development which is developed and delivered by Tower Hamlets College.
The company placement
The trainees are placed in community affairs departments of large corporate companies where they work on a full-time basis for 7 -9 months. Activities vary between companies but include oorganising volunteering activities, supporting community and charity partner relationships, promoting new volunteering events and fundraising activities and processing grant application forms from charities.
Participating companies
The companies participating in the programme over the past two years are: Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Marsh, Allen & Overy, CMS Cameron McKenna, Canary Wharf Group, London City Airport, Deutsche Bank, the FSA, Reuters and Linklaters.
The success of the programme.
All 6 trainees from the 2005/6 programme have greatly benefited from the scheme and have all secured full time employment. We are confident that 6 trainees currently on placement will also go on find good jobs, hopefully in the City or Canary Wharf.
“CATS has been hugely beneficial for me. It has given me the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge in a wide variety of fields and provided me with invaluable work experience in corporate and public sectors. I feel that this has equipped me with all the skills needed to make a great success of my career at Morgan Stanley.”
Dobir Hussain, now working at Morgan Stanley
The companies have been very happy with the quality of support provided by the trainees and have also gained a deeper understanding of the needs of the local community.
“Through participating in CATS, we have not only benefited from a very able extra pair of hands, but more importantly we’ve had live insight into our surrounding community. Working so closely with somebody that actually lives the issues, as opposed to learning through second hand anecdotal evidence, has been an invaluable experience.”
Louise Ellison, Morgan Stanley
In addition to helping to overcome the barrier of the borough’s very low employment rate, the trainees are also proving to be excellent role models for their community:
“Taking part in the CATS programme has given me a chance to work for a successful corporate firm. Being a young Bengali female I have broken a tradition of women not working independently, and I am making a success of my life. Thanks to CATS, I have become a representative of my community and can now act as a role model for young Bengali girls. I am proud to be able to play my part in raising the aspirations of many young people in Tower Hamlets and break the unemployment barrier that sadly exists”.
Dilwara Khatum, now working at Credit Suisse.
The future
We are looking to expand the programme and are currently working with our member companies to learn more about the graduate opportunities that exist and discuss ways that local people can be helped to access these opportunities.
Funding
This project has been funded by the Tower Hamlets Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and by the European Social under the Equal Community Initiative Programme. It is part of the Fresh Futures in Financial Services Development Partnership.
The aim of the CATS programme
The programme has 2 key aims:
- To allow local people to gain skills, knowledge and experience in corporate community involvement (CCI).
- To influence the agenda of community affairs departments.
We believe that this is an innovative scheme that has two-way benefits. The trainees are provided with invaluable experience that will help them to secure permanent employment. The companies obviously benefit by having an extra pair of hands for a several months but they also benefit by having a local person within their team providing them with a unique insight into the Tower Hamlets community. This should help to ensure that their CCI programmes are relevant and sensitive to the needs of the borough.
How it works
We recruit 6 trainees each year and pay them an allowance of £15,000 pro rata per annum. The trainees spend their first 2 - 3 months at ELBA receiving training and work experience. They are then placed in the Community Affairs Department of a large corporate company for a further 7 – 9 months.
The training programme
The trainees are based at ELBA for the first 2 – 3 months where they are given work experience and training. Each trainee is allocated an ELBA mentor who provides support for the duration of the scheme.
The training programme is extensive and focuses on four main areas: understanding community needs, understanding corporate community involvement and understanding the private sector. There is also extensive training on personal development which is developed and delivered by Tower Hamlets College.
The company placement
The trainees are placed in community affairs departments of large corporate companies where they work on a full-time basis for 7 -9 months. Activities vary between companies but include oorganising volunteering activities, supporting community and charity partner relationships, promoting new volunteering events and fundraising activities and processing grant application forms from charities.
Participating companies
The companies participating in the programme over the past two years are: Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Marsh, Allen & Overy, CMS Cameron McKenna, Canary Wharf Group, London City Airport, Deutsche Bank, the FSA, Reuters and Linklaters.
The success of the programme.
All 6 trainees from the 2005/6 programme have greatly benefited from the scheme and have all secured full time employment. We are confident that 6 trainees currently on placement will also go on find good jobs, hopefully in the City or Canary Wharf.
“CATS has been hugely beneficial for me. It has given me the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge in a wide variety of fields and provided me with invaluable work experience in corporate and public sectors. I feel that this has equipped me with all the skills needed to make a great success of my career at Morgan Stanley.”
Dobir Hussain, now working at Morgan Stanley
The companies have been very happy with the quality of support provided by the trainees and have also gained a deeper understanding of the needs of the local community.
“Through participating in CATS, we have not only benefited from a very able extra pair of hands, but more importantly we’ve had live insight into our surrounding community. Working so closely with somebody that actually lives the issues, as opposed to learning through second hand anecdotal evidence, has been an invaluable experience.”
Louise Ellison, Morgan Stanley
In addition to helping to overcome the barrier of the borough’s very low employment rate, the trainees are also proving to be excellent role models for their community:
“Taking part in the CATS programme has given me a chance to work for a successful corporate firm. Being a young Bengali female I have broken a tradition of women not working independently, and I am making a success of my life. Thanks to CATS, I have become a representative of my community and can now act as a role model for young Bengali girls. I am proud to be able to play my part in raising the aspirations of many young people in Tower Hamlets and break the unemployment barrier that sadly exists”.
Dilwara Khatum, now working at Credit Suisse.
The future
We are looking to expand the programme and are currently working with our member companies to learn more about the graduate opportunities that exist and discuss ways that local people can be helped to access these opportunities.
Funding
This project has been funded by the Tower Hamlets Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and by the European Social under the Equal Community Initiative Programme. It is part of the Fresh Futures in Financial Services Development Partnership.