Unlimited Potential Grants

Wales

Assisting employment charities

Many charities do everything they can to support people on the road to employment, but their impact is inevitably limited by funding. So as part of the Britain Works NGO programme, we supplied three charities with up to £90,000 in Unlimited Potential grants.

One of many people to have benefitted from this funding is mum of two, Sammy Parry-Wilson. Sammy wanted a career that would provide a better life for her two sons, so was training to become a qualified plumber.

She also wanted to set up her own business so that she could work flexibly. But as her main source of income was state benefits, and her spare cash all went on plumbing tools, Sammy was stuck with a 13 year old PC, no Internet connection, and little hope of being her own boss.

That was until the Garnsychan Partnership, one of the recipients of an Unlimited Potential grant, stepped in to provide Sammy with access to a PC at their centre. This enabled her to revise for her exams and improve her IT literacy, giving her the skills to manage her own business and the opportunity to provide for her family.

The Wise Group / Britain Works helpline

Glasgow

Ringing in the changes

Charity starts at home, or so they say, and this has certainly been the case at The Wise Group – our social enterprise partner who run the Microsoft Britain Works helpline. They employed out-of-work jobseekers to help with the programme. Many have used their time to learn as well as inform, and some are now moving on to greater things.

One such former employee is Patrick Campbell, who came to work for the Wise Group as a Microsoft Britain Works helpline advisor. His journey started in 2008: having recently become unemployed, he took the opportunity to retrain as a contact centre advisor.

Patrick excelled in his time at The Wise Group, using his personal experience to help others who were struggling to get back into the workplace – just as he had.

As his skills and confidence grew, he started looking further afield for ways to advance his career. He recently left the Microsoft Britain Works helpline a changed man, to start his new job in the banking sector.

Digital Literacy Curriculum / UK Online Centres

Dorset

Empowering mature learners

Taking the first step towards IT literacy is a daunting task for anyone. But for mature users who have never switched on a computer before, the hurdle can seem almost insurmountable.

Thanks to UK Online Centres, supported by the Microsoft Britain Works programme, learners of all ages are receiving expert IT tuition and training for their entry-level Microsoft Digital Literacy qualifications.

Living proof that Digital Literacy can be learned at any age is Roma Costello from Poole. Roma is in her late 60s and had no IT skills when she started visiting her local UK Online Centre.

However, since she started training for her qualification, she has grown in confidence to such an extent that she is now using her digital skills to handle the business affairs of an international senior oil executive based in Taiwan – her son.

Entrepreneurship

Edinburgh

Inspiring young businesses

Start-up businesses provide a massive boost to Scotland’s economy, creating new jobs and development opportunities for the country. But young entrepreneurs often need assistance with technical details so they can concentrate on the bigger picture.

As part of the Microsoft Britain Works programme, Microsoft BizSpark works in partnership with the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT), giving bright young businessmen and women in Scotland one-to-one support from expert Microsoft advisors.

One business to benefit from this assistance is Pure IT Recycling. Founded by Bobby Mitchell, Pure IT specialises in environmentally friendly data destruction. The support of the PSYBT helped Bobby grow a fledgling business into a successful enterprise that contributes to both the local business community and the national economy.

Apprenticeships

Dudley

Opening the door of opportunity

The IT sector is a vital part of the growing knowledge economy in the UK. But at Microsoft we’ve seen first hand that Britain’s IT companies are struggling to find new graduate talent.

With this in mind, we launched the Britain Works Partner Apprenticeship programme. Working with QA, the UK’s leading provider of authorised training courses, the programme offers young people on-the-job training with the opportunity to attain nationally recognised IT Professional qualifications.

Setting a strong example for the programme is Harriett Lester, one of our London-based apprentices. Harriet was inspired by her sister, already an apprentice, after seeing how much she loved taking a 'hands-on' approach to education.

Harriet is now working for Responsible IT, a Microsoft social enterprise partner that helps tackle youth unemployment by training young people as computer engineers.

It seems that Harriet’s apprenticeship has not only taught her about IT, but also about the value of social responsibility. Recently she articulated a desire to one day use her new-found knowledge to teach young people living in poverty overseas how to use IT – educating and inspiring them to find work by following in her footsteps.

IT Academy, Sawtry College

Cambridgeshire

Standing out from the crowd

When applying for jobs, many of us include IT literacy on our CVs. Yet employers are finding to their cost that this is one area where people tend to ‘bend the truth’. This means more and more companies are looking for applicants with recognised IT qualifications.

To help people increase their employment prospects, Microsoft IT Academies offer a range of qualifications, from the entry level to advanced programming and architecture. Operating out of charities and schools around the UK, these academies provide courses for both students and adult learners – such as Delia Riddle.

Having carried her laptop around in its bag for 18 months, too scared to use it, Delia finally took the plunge and started IT training. She successfully completed all of her modules at Sawtry College, and is now so confident using the technology that she is helping the class teacher train others.

She is proud to be helping people on their way to employment as an inspiration and assistant to other learners at Sawtry College, and Delia’s training has also meant she can now use technology in her volunteer role at a local prison.

Britain Works Challenge 2010 winners – Sunderland City Council

Sunderland

Rising to the challenge

Helping people into employment flourishes when local governments, businesses and charities work together. It’s an approach that helps extend opportunities to under-served parts of communities, which might otherwise be missed.

On this basis, Microsoft launched the Britain Works Challenge, offering local authorities the chance to win up to 100,000 Microsoft Training Vouchers, which they could use to launch innovative e-learning programmes for their citizens.

2010’s three winners were Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Milton Keynes Council, and Sunderland City Council – where Dawn Hoggett was one of the first to benefit from a training voucher.

Dawn had been made redundant from her job and was looking for training courses that could help her find a new role. Although Dawn was able to use a computer at work, she was concerned that she had no formal qualifications to put on her CV.

She undertook the Microsoft Essentials e-learning course and her confidence soared as she passed the exams and learned more about technology. With renewed vigour, she began her search for employment and has now found a new job, thanks to her knowledge of Office 2003 and 2007 and the official qualification she earned as a result.

Digital Literacy Curriculum

Wolverhampton

New opportunities in the Black Country

The Black Country was once a thriving industrial area, but the decline in manufacturing caused a sharp rise in unemployment. So for the past three years Microsoft has supported 120 learning centres in the area, through cash and software grants, to provide IT skills training to residents.

One of many people to benefit from this scheme is Michael Keen. Having grown tired of seeing his job applications rejected, Michael decided that the best way to improve his prospects was to improve his skills. He started attending the TLC College in Wolverhampton, undertaking the Microsoft Digital Literacy Curriculum qualification.

Gradually his confidence grew and he moved onto higher-level IT qualifications, showing both an aptitude and passion for IT. His talent didn’t go unnoticed; TLC College were quick to offer him a job in their IT Support team – where he is able to assist more learners along their journey.

BizSpark

Southampton

Harnessing the creative spark

The IT sector is an area of predicted growth for our economy – helping to alleviate unemployment and stimulate development.

As part of the Microsoft Britain Works programme, Microsoft BizSpark helps to nurture software start-ups, giving them access to product development tools, connecting them with key industry players, including investors, and providing marketing assistance.

Two entrepreneurs, Prof Simon Cox, a physicist and mathematician, and George Shanks, an engineer, received thousands of pounds worth of support for their new company Dezineforce. Their start-up provides engineers in the architectural, aerospace and automobile industries with the computing muscle needed to solve complex design problems.

Through the support of BizSpark, the company has not only saved on cash outgoings, it has also thrived and grown thanks to the business connections made through the programme. This prosperity has directly enabled Simon and George to create new jobs in this important sector, having recently hired an additional developer.

With over 2000 new start-ups being supported by BizSpark in the UK, we are confident the programme will make a significant impact on the IT industry’s ongoing development.

Refurbished PCs

Nationwide

Developing self-confidence

Every year throughout the world, millions of fully functional computers are discarded. But thanks to the Microsoft Refurbisher programme, many of these machines are salvaged, providing a valuable resource for people in need of affordable technology.

One organisation to benefit from the scheme is YourStory, a London-based charity which helps teenagers from disadvantaged communities develop self-confidence and improve their performance in schools. Thanks to the Microsoft Refurbisher programme, these teenagers now have regular access to computers, and are developing the IT skills needed for long and successful careers.