Six-figure-funding set to launch ethical recruitment agency

Andy Street (Mayor of the West Midlands), Jayden Lee McMahon (New Leaf Initiative client) and Marie-Claire O’Brien (New Leaf Initiative Founder)

A Birmingham social enterprise has secured £100,000 of social investment to launch a new ethical recruitment agency and refurbish its training academy.

New Leaf Initiative, which is based in Allcock Street in Digbeth, is now planning to place 100 clients into work in the first year by supporting companies wishing to increase their social value.

The enterprise is set on supporting local people from diverse and often disadvantaged backgrounds, following the funding from the Sumerian Foundation.

New Leaf also has worked with 1,300 individuals with convictions, to stay away from crime and get into work, by helping people to stabilise, upskill and gain employment.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands attended the launch, which comes a few weeks before the Government announces how it will allocate the English portion of nearly £1bn of dormant assets that can be used to help levelling-up.

Street said” “The decision that was taken to put dormant assets into different funding streams has proven to be incredibly wise. My message to Government, as I know they’re considering another injection of dormant assets into social enterprise funding, would be ‘please do it’”.

Marie-Claire O’Brien, New Leaf Initiative’s founder and managing director, said: “The ethical recruitment agency is an important extension to our hugely successful service and will provide a missing link for companies wanting to ‘do good’ by investing in individuals from disadvantaged background.

“Bosses now have a clear route to tap into a new talent pool that could help solve the growing labour shortage in the Midlands.

“It is important to remember that the third sector and social enterprises like ours, does the Government’s work for it, by making it our mission to support the most marginalised, disenfranchised, and disadvantaged members of our society”.

In addition to the launch of the ethical recruitment agency, New Leaf has also refurbished its training academy with upgraded equipment, the employment of an experienced tutor and the creation of a graffiti wall that represents the journey of clients from institutions to employment.

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