Our clients and candidates know how important the city of Portsmouth is to Sarah Roads and the SLR team. One of the ongoing goals of SLR marine recruitment is to be part of the conversation that shapes the community. As such we are proud to become one of the patrons of Shaping Portsmouth. In this blog we will discuss the vision for Shaping Portsmouth and why we felt it was so important to be part of this initiative.
What is shaping Portsmouth?
Shaping Portsmouth has a mission to create innovative programs and initiatives aimed at boosting the profile of the city and encouraging it to be seen as somewhere to visit, invest, live, learn and work in. Shaping Portsmouth has initiated multiple projects and programs that are supported by a team of volunteers and a group of businesses and financial partners. Its goals are to support businesses, education, and the community in Portsmouth.
Supporting local businesses
Shaping Portsmouth is taking a central role in moving businesses forward within the city. Its climate action board is made up of 47 key city organisations and has begun work on initial projects such as data and best practices and a micro business project. In terms of digital resilience, Shaping Portsmouth is about to launch its first set of online webinars that impart knowledge on building resilient business culture. The outreach has also grown with ships entering the port that are now being met by a Shaping Portsmouth ambassador through a new meeting and greet initiative which has been well received.
Helping Portsmouth’s young people
In terms of education, Shaping Portsmouth wants to be part of the journey of supporting young people from education right through to employment. 2022 saw the launch of an apprenticeship program which has engaged 856 schoolchildren and is proud to have 54 apprentices on board this year. There are plans to expand on this with a Shaping Apprenticeship ambassador strategy in the making. A continued drive to develop pathways for employability has been part of the made in Pompey initiative which created 413 opportunities and 269 placements for local young people.
In terms of the community, Shaping Portsmouth has brought in an Armed Forces covenant. So far 68 companies out of 8000 have registered to support our veterans. This is an initiative close to SLR ‘s heart as it strives to ensure our time-served veterans find their way into rewarding civilian work in the marine sector.
Why SLR has become a patron
The partnerships and patrons who commit to shaping Portsmouth allow them to deliver the programs that they feel our local community would benefit from. SLR joins the likes of the University of Portsmouth, The News and Gunwharf Quays in becoming a patron. SLR feels that it is important to participate in programmes that continue to build our community and open opportunities for our young people to improve the future of everyone living and working in Portsmouth.
