The Work Programme & Greggs Plc

1. The Work Programme & Greggs Plc Karen Walker Resourcing Manager Greggs Plc

2. About Greggs • 1,585 shops across the UK • Ten regional bakeries • 1 central savoury production plant • 1 specialist confectionery bakery • 2 distribution centres • 20,000+ employees • A growing business – we will recruit 800+ new people in next 12 months

3. Our company Values define what we do… We will be enthusiastic and supportive in all that we do, open, honest and appreciative, treating everyone with fairness, consideration and respect

4. Since June 2011… • 44 voluntary work experience placements offered via JCP • 7 graduate and 4 undergraduates on 2-year programme • 5 work placements for young people through BBC3 ‘Up for Hire’ programme • 10 young apprentices recruited in 2011 • Employed 4 people from Business Action on Homelessness • Recruited 27 people in London and the South through A4E and Avanta, giving jobs to long term unemployed people • 3 women ex-offenders employed from HMP Styal and HMP Low Newton

5. Partners help drive success

6. Why tackling unemployment is absolutely critical to us… • Young people form 1/3 of our workforce, circa 7,000 18-24 year olds at Greggs • People tend to stay at Greggs for a long time once they have joined us • Unemployed people are our customers as well as potential employees • New people add quality, vibrancy and richness of ideas to our workforce • We have a wider pool of available candidates to choose from • This is high on our agenda

7. The Greggs experience • Firstly, we believe that there is definitely a place for Work Providers (experience, knowledge and access) • Too many Providers out there – all offering the same thing • It makes it appear confusing • It wasn’t easy to tune in at first ... • We wanted a simple process and one way of working throughout our business • We have developed a close partnership with JCP • We decided to work with one main Work Provider and consolidate other partners

8. The Greggs experience • We had many unsuitable candidates put forward that we were unable to progress • We then knew that we needed to spend time setting up the partnership • We looked at: • what we are looking for in a candidate • the type of work they would do • our culture v best fit • our recruitment process • We now have a good relationship with our Provider

9. The Greggs experience • They tailored their process to meet our needs • They are extremely responsive to our needs • Small trial initially - now moving to a national roll-out • Funding process isn’t as smooth / timely (Youth Contract) • Funding for Providers is about getting someone into work, but not necessarily with the same employer • Sustainability is our agenda • We have recruited 64 people (10% of our new recruits) via Work Providers in the last 12 months – lots of successes and great feedback

10. Challenges and opportunities of private sector engagement • We need the best talent available – job-ready candidates with the right attitude • We need to seek out talent and engage with people who might not progress through normal channels • It’s a tough climate for businesses – there are not as many opportunities available • We therefore need to be efficient, effective and work as a team • A single point of contact helps (and possibly a database so other Providers know who our partners are) • Clarity re: funding