Why we have a passion for partnership

I'm Chance, Partnership Manager for the Bridge of Hope careers portal.

I’ve been involved in the third sector for a few years in one way or other, initially as a grateful beneficiary. But it was only when I started working with the third sector itself that I realised there was a lack of real coalition culture within the sector.
During my own journey in personal development, I gratefully enjoyed the support of several amazing charity organisations, some of whom I am honoured to be collaborating with today.

Key4Life helped me to unlock some historical pain through equine therapy. And Bounce Back supported my entrepreneurial goals and introduced me to the great team at Prosper4 Group (who run the Bridge Of Hope) and Resume Foundation (who operate Venture, a business start-up programme.)

This first-hand experience has left me with a huge amount of respect for the work individuals in this sector do. And it’s because of this support that I am encouraging the building of coalitions and partnerships in the third sector – for the betterment of the end-user. I have been that end-user, and I can feel when there is disharmony among those supporting me. It strikes me that too many organisations spend too much time competing for less and less funding. Why fight over a shrinking slice of cake when together we can increase the whole cake?

Bounce Back knew that my future wasn’t in the construction industry, which is their area of focus, so they found the right place for me to be, thanks to their willingness to embrace coalition culture. The feeling when your coalition of support is in pure harmony is like travelling without the weight of uncertainty.

The Inclusive Culture Movement

I understand that my role is more than a job; it is being a part of a movement. The drive towards a more inclusive culture has been shaken up but also empowered by cultural shifts: events like the awful pandemic, the murder of George Floyd and Brexit. In times of change, movements are born. Imagine if the third sector were in solid coalition, how the end-user would flourish? Isn’t it time to truly work together for the greater good, big or small?

Over the last few months, I have had some extraordinary meetings with some incredible organisations, and we have shared some great synergy. It’s about mindset, I think. We need to drop our instincts towards competition and protectionism; we need to put the best interests of our service users first. Not just because that’s right for them, but also because it delivers greater shared success and demonstrates the collective power and importance of the sector.

Bridge Of Hope Coalition of Skills & Support Partners

At BRIDGEOFHOPE.CAREERS, we’ve forged coalitions with a number of Skills & Support Partners, all of which provide hope and address the sources of uncertainty and anxiety that can deteriorate a candidate’s sense of self-worth.

SORT is one of my favourites in our coalition of support & skills partners. Here's what one of their candidates, Muna, says about them: "Sort is the ultimate career discovery platform! I have been exposed to job titles and career paths I hadn’t heard of and broadened my prospects. It's fun and simple to navigate - an enjoyable experience.”

This could be great for candidates who wish to discover suitable new industries for their transferable skills, such as those who were in retail pre-Covid.

With City & Guilds, referred candidates can access free training and certification for a growing range of skills (beginning with social care and construction) to support their applications. C&G now also support Digital Training, and other training partnerships are in development, too.

Springboard and Careerscope support people of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life with barriers into employment to fall in love with hospitality, leisure and tourism, as well as gain skills, knowledge and experience needed to forge a career in these amazing industries.

Hastee offers “Earnings On Demand” which will help to alleviate any added financial related anxieties. Ideal for a candidate in a new job, and out of their comfort zone.

IncomeMax will not only support candidates, they will also support the whole family. This is particularly great if your candidates are first-in-family graduates who have to take on family financial pressures, as well as others who are the sole breadwinners in a family. IncomeMax will help with finding solutions which in turn reduces the financial pressures on your candidates. Click Here For IncomeMax Support.

Imagine one individual with all that support. This is a part of a growing coalition and we have 70,000 candidates to date (07/02/22) who can access this support. This is the type of supported candidate which is available to our inclusive employers.

Chance Bleu-Montgomery is Partnership Manager for the Bridge of Hope.

Join the coalition culture movement today: [email protected]