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Our new Suited for Success Bus - Get Onboard
Suited for Success is going on the road to support the unemployed in communities across the Birmingham with high levels of unemployment thanks to a new charity partnership and fantastic bus donation from National Express West Midlands.
Pop-up Suited for Success
Imagine you are unemployed, looking for work, and want to access our services. However, imagine that you cannot afford the travel to get to our centre in Ladywood, or that you can't find the time to travel due to your caring commitments. You remain excluded from employment simply by circumstance. Alternatively, imagine that you need our services but rarely leave your local area or engage with government or charity services for cultural or structural reasons. There are large parts of the community we are not reaching.
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Thanks to a fantastic donation of a double decker bus from National Express West Midlands, we have the opportunity to solve this problem and help even more people into employment. Suited For Success is working to use this bus to take our charity on the road as a mobile pop-up centre. We will take our services to the unemployed in communities across Birmingham that we have traditionally been unable to reach.
The BIG conversion
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The double decker bus will be converted into a mini pop-up Suited for Success with an interview clothing provision boutique on the upper deck and interview/ employment preparation coaching booths on the lower deck alongside a computers station where people can apply for jobs and have employment. Once converted our plans are to take the bus to areas of Birmingham that has some of the highest levels of unemployment in the UK so people can access our support into employment.
The donated retired National Express West Midlands bus was officially handed over to Suited for Success on Friday 10th June, 2022. We're rolling our sleeves up for an exciting collaborative social actions project to convert the bus with the help and support from a number of construction companies also business pro-bono support from graphic design and marketing to business staff volunteer days already on standby, We are hoping to have the bus converted by late spring 2023.
Into the heart of our communities
Rachel James, UK HR Director at National Express, said: ”National Express are passionate about the communities we serve and are proud to support Suited for Success. The initiative supports people that need a helping hand to get back into employment, and get their lives back on track.
We are so pleased to donate a bus to Suited to succeed, to enable the scheme to be driven into the heart of communities and help to give people that much needed chance to gain meaningful employment. “
Levelling the playing field
At Suited for Success our mission is to level the playing field for unemployed people to realise their potential and regain employment. We often hear the term ‘hard to reach communities’. Our bus will take Suited for Success on the road to reach and support more unemployed people living in communities across Birmingham and the West Midlands with some of the highest levels of unemployment in the country, helping people to access our charity’s support to gain employment.
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Birmingham's unemployment rate is the highest among the UK’s core cities and well above the UK average. Several areas across the city are experiencing some of the highest levels of unemployment in the country with the highest concentration in Birmingham’s inner-city areas – where Suited for Success is located.
Employment changes lives
We help people to unlock their potential and make that first move back into employment. Our FREE interview coaching, job interview outfit and FREE new job start work clothing support gives people the tools they need to begin their employment journey. So when they're ready to take that first step into the interview room, or a new workplace, they're equipped with the skills to impress, look and feel the part, ready to step into the rest of their life.
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We are so incredibly grateful to National Express West Midlands for believing in our vision and donating us a bus to help carry out our mission.
Donate to our new bus project
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Your financial donation will help to fund the development of our bus project to support the unemployed into employment, research and develop new ideas, have stability and make long-term plans. We offer a number of simple ways to make a financial donation to us. See below or visit our donate to us page
High-Five us and donate a fiver
Love what we do? High-five us by donating a fiver. Get on board our exciting new Suited for Success bus journey helping even more unemployed people into work by donating just £5. Simply scan the QR code, click the Just Giving button or text HIGHFIVE to 70450 to donate.
Thank you for supporting our work in making a real difference – helping people into employment and changing lives.
#highfive #getonboard
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Get Onboard and support us
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If you're a business or individual who would like to know more about how to financially support or new bus employment project including sponsorship and funding opportunities we love to hear from you, please get in touch Email: info@suitedforsuccess.co.uk
Or text HIGHFIVE to 70450 to donate £5.
(plus the cost of a standard rate message.)
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Donate by bank transfer ​
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Account Name: Suited for Success
​Sort code: 40-46-13
Account number: 42047632
Donate by SMS text