OCS Group UK, a UK facilities management company and part of the OCS Group, today announced its partnership with The Poppy Factory, the employment support charity for veterans with health conditions, helping veterans overcome barriers and move into sustainable employment.
The partnership, which started in Spring 2021, will see OCS expand its delivery of the People into Work programme. Developed and funded by the OCS Foundation, the programme supports local people into sustainable employment, working with 17 partners across the UK.
Working closely with The Poppy Factory enables OCS to reach out to those it can support into work opportunities, and the charity’s employment consultants deliver added wraparound support for people as they move through the recruitment, onboarding and employment process.
In the same way, managers are provided with additional support through both the People into Work team at OCS and through contact with The Poppy Factory, ensuring a holistic approach to employing people who would otherwise find the transition into work very challenging.
Veterans supported through the partnership may experience many different barriers, such as PTSD and other mental health conditions, social isolation, homelessness and inexperience of civilian employment.
Bob Taylor, OCS Group Chief Executive Officer, UK, Ireland & Middle East, commented:
“By working with partners like The Poppy Factory, OCS can better support local people who face significant barriers to entering and succeeding in the workplace.
By providing growth opportunities and helping them to enter and remain in employment, we are enhancing the social, economic and environmental conditions in the communities in which we work.”
Tom Adam, The Poppy Factory’s Policy and Impact Manager, said:
“Joining forces with OCS has already helped change the lives of veterans, who have welcomed the opportunity to show just how much expertise and experience they can contribute to civilian employers, given the right support network. We are excited at the scale of the opportunity that this partnership represents, opening up many new opportunities for those in the ex-Forces community who most need support.”
Earlier this month, OCS Group launched its Global Sustainability Strategy which focuses on two key areas where, given its operations, it can make a real and impactful difference – reducing carbon emissions and advancing social mobility. Today’s announcement builds on the UK business’s ongoing global sustainability efforts in one of two core areas: advancing social mobility.
