CITYACTION EMPLOYABILIT HEART OF THE CITY A THE BARBICAN THE LORD MAYOR SOCIAL INVESTMENT INVOLVEMENT GUIDE THE CITY OF LONDON ECONOMIC RESEARCH

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1 THE CITY OF LONDON HEART OF THE CITY T CITYACTION RESPONSIBLE PROCUREMENT SOCIAL INVESTMENT EMPLOYABILIT Y Y AND LOCAL RECRUITMENT CORPORATE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT GUIDE RESPONSIBLE CONSTRUCTION ARTS PA P RTNERSHIPS AT A THE BARBICAN THE LORD MAYOR A S DRAGON AW A WARD S CORPORATE A RESPONSIBILITY ECONOMIC RESEARCH Helping How the businesses City of London to get can more help businesses involved in get their more local involved communities in their local communities

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3 Introduction 3 This brochure gives an overview of the tailored, free assistance and advice that the City of London Corporation provides to businesses looking to engage with their neighbours, reach local customers or learn more about the area in which they are operating. Together, we can ensure that the area in which we live and work is as successful as it is diverse.

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5 Our initiatives 5 Start a corporate social responsibility programme HEART OF THE CITY 9 Build an employee volunteering programme CITY ACTION 11 Provide routes into work for young people EMPLOYABILITY AND LOCAL RECRUITMENT 12 RESPONSIBLE CONSTRUCTION 13 Embed responsible procurement strategies RESPONSIBLE CONSTRUCTION 13 RESPONSIBLE PROCUREMENT 15 Finance social enterprises SOCIAL INVESTMENT 17 Apply for an award for your corporate community project THE LORD MAYOR S DRAGON AWARDS 18 Access useful analysis and tools on key corporate responsibility topics CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 19 RESEARCH Encourage participation in the arts ARTS PARTNERSHIP AT THE BARBICAN 21

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7 THE CITY OF LONDON 7 The City of London, also known as the Square Mile, is arguably the most prosperous and dynamic area in the country. Yet the adjacent boroughs face higher levels of unemployment, social exclusion and child poverty than elsewhere in London and most of the UK. The City of London Corporation is working closely with public, private and community sector bodies to bring lasting economic and physical regeneration to the City and its neighbouring boroughs. Indices of deprivation % most deprived in England 5% most deprived in England 10% most deprived in England 20% most deprived in England 25% most deprived in England 30% most deprived in England Outside the 30% most deprived in England * Produced by Department for Communities and Local Government

8 Heart of the City showed us a range of activities and structures an element of a CSR programme which would be relevant to us. Andy McNally, Co-Head of Capital Markets, Berenberg Bank

9 HEART OF THE CITY 9 Heart of the City offers support to companies in the City and its neighbouring boroughs, that are interested in starting up or developing bespoke Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes that suit their size, sector and experience. Heart of the City is best known for its flagship Newcomers programme which offers free CSR support to up to 70 companies every year through a range of workshops, guides and templates, signposting and dedicated account-management. Heart of the City s programmes are supported by over 100 Contributor businesses, which provide support by sharing their expertise in CSR Supporting Contributor businesses 450 Businesses have been through the Newcomers Programme since % info_heartofthecity@cityoflondon.gov.uk of newcomers manage to start a CSR programme without dedicated CSR resource.

10 City Action is great. I have found so many aspects of their service offering helpful in developing my company s community programme and it s all free! Susan Cain, Telereal Trillium

11 CITY action 11 City Action is the free volunteering brokerage service for City-based businesses and local community organisations. As skills-sharing experts, we work closely with our business members to understand their volunteering objectives in order to accurately match business skills to local community needs. We provide a two year business membership programme including facilitation of volunteering activities and longer-term volunteering partnerships. We also offer educational events, tools and resources to enable your business to effectively manage successful employee volunteering programmes. City Action works with City-based businesses that are new to community engagement and prioritise small and medium sized enterprises. Our community partners comprise local charities, schools and social enterprises, all based in the City s neighbouring boroughs. 9,546 volunteers placed in the last 10 years city.action@cityoflondon.gov.uk / 1762 community organisations supported in the last 10 years

12 12 employability and local recruitment The City is surrounded by some of the country s poorest boroughs where local residents remain very under-represented in the City professions that make their living on their doorstep. The local recruitment programme, Fringe Benefits seeks to address this and supports businesses who would like to recruit locally by sourcing high calibre entry-level candidates from a variety of local employability charities, job brokerages, colleges and universities. This is a great opportunity for City businesses that are open to diversifying their entry level intake or want to make a difference by supporting local candidates who lack the life chances and vital networks to access City type roles. Other employability programmes include our City of London Business Traineeship initiative, which provides paid placements for bright A level school leavers from the City s neighbouring boroughs for a period of 6-12 weeks before university. Aspiration-raising programmes give your business the opportunity to host taster sessions for groups of young people from local schools wishing to learn more about the City. partnerships@cityoflondon.gov.uk % of business delegates said our community tours brought to life the challenges faced in the local communities they worked in.

13 responsible construction 13 We ask developers and contractors operating on new developments in the Square Mile to commit to The Employment Charter for Construction. This is a series of pledges ensuring that local residents can access jobs and training on site. We support developers in meeting these aims by connecting them with organisations with experience of providing training and employment support. Since its inception in 2006, hundreds of local residents have benefited from construction-related training and entered into employment in the City. The Local Procurement Charter seeks to encourage City developers and their contractors to locally source 10% of goods and services, relating to development, from the City and its neighbouring boroughs, and drive the economies of local small to medium sized enterprises. This will in turn drive local employment levels within the seven surrounding boroughs, where up to 10% of the local population is unemployed. The local procurement charter is supported by planning agreements. We can provide free support and guidance and introduce developers and contractors to local suppliers. Section 106 Local procurement is now included in Section 106 agreements. partnerships@cityoflondon.gov.uk

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15 responsible procurement 15 The City Procurement Project encourages Citybased businesses to adopt a responsible purchasing strategy which meets both their business and corporate responsibility needs. Advice is given on local purchasing, green procurement and supplier diversity e.g. procurement from the social enterprise sector. We provide free access to a range of responsible procurement tools, one to one support and regular events. We also provide newsletters and special research publications (see page 19), offering insight and guidance into best-practice procurement. Our Ready to Supply the City programme focuses on helping small and micro businesses in the City s neighbouring boroughs become fit to supply City businesses and their supply chains. There are opportunities for City businesses to support smaller enterprises on this programme, including meet the buyer sessions, taking part in roundtable discussions or attending business networking sessions corporate.responsibility@cityoflondon.gov.uk small businesses in neighbouring boroughs supported to become fit to supply City businesses in ten years.

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17 social investment 17 The City of London Corporation is committed to supporting City institutions to engage in social investment. This type of finance can be appropriate for projects and organisations which deliver social as well as financial returns. It has the capacity to connect institutional and individual investors with organisations tackling social needs within our communities, and can complement investors philanthropic activities. To this end, the Corporation: offers advice on how to engage in social investment and signposts enquiries to expertise in social finance, product, fund design and management provides an overview of market developments, trends and public policy analysis publishes and commissions research into various aspects of social investment is represented at the European Union level panel of experts works to help overcome the legal and regulatory barriers associated with attracting capital into social enterprises, charities and community organisations hosts and supports seminars, workshops and conferences on aspects of social investment 20,000,000 social investment fund launched by the City of London Corporation

18 18 the lord mayor s dragon awards The Lord Mayor s Dragon Awards recognise and celebrate organisations which display excellence in engaging with their local communities. Activities include charity partnerships, employee volunteering, employability initiatives and local purchasing. Any business, public body or community organisation making a positive impact on London s communities is welcome to apply for an award and we encourage both large and small organisations to apply. Smaller organisations are judged separately. Entry to the Awards is free and the results are announced at a prestigious banquet at the Mansion House, hosted by the Lord Mayor. All Dragon Award applicants receive a complimentary invitation to the banquet. Winners of the Dragon Awards are presented with a coveted Dragon statuette. For most organisations, however, it is the reputation of the Awards that is most valued and benefits for your business could include press coverage, increased employee morale and differentiation amongst peers. Over 26 years dragonawards@cityoflondon.gov.uk of recognising and rewarding community engagement in Greater London

19 corporate social responsibility research Corporate community involvement is a rapidly evolving part of business. Our research publications aim to support business with useful analysis and tools to improve their programmes. They can be downloaded at the website listed below. 19 les> Our research includes: Volunteering - the business case - the benefits of corporate volunteering programmes in education Focuses on the competencies that staff can develop through participation in education-related employee volunteering programmes, as well as the benefits that this approach can offer over more traditional forms of staff development. The City of London s supply chain and its relationship with the City s neighbouring boroughs Examines which sectors in the City s neighbouring boroughs are trading with City businesses and which barriers exist that may discourage trading. The research sets out the potential for local procurement and makes recommendations on business support ECONOMIC RESEARCH CITY OF LONDON economic.research@cityoflondon.gov.uk measures to help facilitate local purchasing, as well as identifying the products and services available from the City s neighbouring boroughs. The role of tax incentives in encouraging social investment Examines the case for providing a tax relief for social investment and identifies key principles for developing such a tax relief. The research also looks at the changes that would be required to existing mainstream tax reliefs to allow for social investment. Engaging London s communities - the big society and localism Considers what needs to happen, in terms of partnership between the public sector and community/voluntary organisations, for the government s two major policy aims of the Big Society and localism to be successful.

20 The staff of City and City fringe businesses have the amazing good fortune to have as a neighbour the most innovative and daring arts centre in the UK. Richard Hardie, Non-Executive Vice Chair, UBS Katie Henfrey

21 ARTS PARTNERSHIPS AT THE BARBICAN The Barbican produces London s most international and innovative programme of arts and learning. Our partnerships with a growing network of companies and individuals are achieving excellence both at the Centre and in communities across east London. The creative learning programme a major partnership with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama engages people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. The support of our local business community is critical in realising our vision. Through a long-term partnership, we can help your business share the benefits of the Barbican s renowned programme, and help you deliver against key objectives: Clients and employees receive priority access to some of the UK s most sought-after tickets, across all the art forms Employees become directly involved with innovative community projects and education activities Your brand is elevated through association with the Barbican s global reputation for artistic excellence, reaching an increasingly varied and international audience With your support, we can continue to grow as Europe s largest arts centre and help you achieve a lasting impact on your business and the wider community ,000 development@barbican.org.uk people benefit from the education programme each year Barbican Centre Trust Limited, UK registered charity number

22 22 which programme suits my business? Starting a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme Building relationships with community organisations Providing routes into work Embed responsible procurement strategies Our bespoke advice Our bespoke advice Our bespoke advice Our bespoke advice Developing a CSR programme Creating the right measures for success Engaging leadership Communicating CSR Maintaining momentum with your CSR programme Access to CSR materials Setting up and developing a staff volunteering scheme Volunteering opportunities for staff to share skills with community organisations Developing long-term partnerships with community organisations and businesses Visits to community projects Access to partnership assessment tools Recruiting local residents Training unemployed people in construction skills Raising aspirations of local disadvantaged and young people through workplace visits Providing work placement opportunities to deprived local residents Providing employability support to high achieving local residents Engaging with a diverse range of suppliers - including small and medium size enterprises & social enterprises Working with local suppliers which can regenerate the local economy Working with suppliers to minimise environmental impact Meet the buyer events for City businesses and local suppliers our programmes our programmes our programmes our programmes HEART OF THE CITY page 9 CITY ACTION page 11 EMPLOYABILITY AND LOCAL RECRUITMENT page 12 Responsible construction page 13 RESPONSIBLE CONSTRUCTION page 13 RESPONSIBLE procurement page 15 benefits to your business of engaging in your communities Recognition from peers and potential clients Networking opportunities Brand differentiation Improved recruitment and retention of staff Press coverage and rewards

23 23 Finance social enterprises Apply for an award for your corporate community project Access useful analysis and tools into key corporate social responsibility topics Encourage participation in the arts Our bespoke advice Our bespoke advice Our bespoke advice Our bespoke advice Financially supporting social enterprises Advice to organisations on how to engage in social investment Case studies on what a leading community programme looks like Feedback to all applicants Analysis and tools to improve and enhance corporate responsibility programmes Support artistic excellence Opportunities for employee engagement through creative learning initiatives Overview of market developments, trends and focus and public policy analysis Seminars, workshops and conferences on aspects of social investment Reward organisations which display excellence in community involvement Free entry to the awards and invite to the awards dinner Promotion and marketing opportunities Sustainable and high profile partnership opportunities our programmes our programmes our programmes our programmes SOCIAL INVESTMENT page 17 The Lord Mayor s Dragon Awards page 18 corporate responsibility research page 19 ARTS PARTNERSHIP AT THE BARBICAN page 21 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ECONOMIC REGENERATION

24 EMPLOYABILIT Y AND LOCAL RECRUITMENT CORPORATE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT GUIDE This publication is available in alternative formats on request from the City of London RESPONSIBLE Corporate Responsibility Team. CONSTRUCTION ARTS PA RTNERSHIPS AT THE BARBICAN THE LORD MAYOR S DRAGON AW ARDS CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY Economic Development Office City of London ECONOMIC RESEARCH Guildhall PO Box 270 London EC2P 2EJ Helping businesses to get more involved in their local communities Telephone: Website: THE CITY OF LONDON corporate.responsibility@cityoflondon.gov.uk Y