MEMBER ZONE MEMBERZONE
Latest news from MILTON KEYNES CHAMBER MEMBERS including award wins, relocations, appointments, new contracts, member profiles, mergers, company expansion plans, sponsorship deals and business success stories
THE FUTURE OF YMCA’S SERVICES
As a charity and a family of colleagues, YMCA Milton Keynes are deeply concerned with the ongoing challenges faced by many individuals and businesses, as the city moves into the restart and restore phase of the pandemic. Like many businesses, the team are uncertain of how deep this virus will continue to impact our community and how long it will continue to be in our lives. YMCA’s unique nature is
particularly affected by this crisis. Their work stretches across
every aspect of the community; they deliver support to hundreds of young people in the local area, providing a safe and secure place for them to stay, individual support for their health and well-being, and the skills and confidence to be able to fulfil their true potential. The charity does this across all communities in Milton Keynes; every hour of every day, through the good times and the bad. Front-line work has been
and continues to be significantly disrupted by the Coronavirus outbreak, and the team are also bracing for the financial impact of COVID-19. Having recently moved into a superb new home in the centre of MK, many fundraising activities are postponed. Income has been directly impacted as lockdown forced a delay to the opening of the new HomeGround café, conferencing rooms and the nursery. The whole YMCA MK family
wishes to thank those who have helped with ensuring their work has been able to continue through generous donations. YMCA has been in our community for 40 years and they fully intend to be here for another 40 years.
Visit:
www.mkymca.com
MK COLLEGE CELEBRATES APPRENTICE PASS RATES
Business administration and customer service students at MK College have achieved extraordinary pass rates, with more than 95% gaining a Distinction – the highest grade possible - in their apprenticeships. This is an amazing success story
for MK College students and their employers, and testimony to the college’s workplace trainers, Nicky Searle and Caroline Marren – who say their success at helping apprentices achieve top grades is simply down to hard work. Caroline said:
Distinction level apprentice Stacy Lewis who now works at Jubilee Wood Primary School
‘IT’S SO
“We work with a number of awarding bodies who all interpret the necessary standards in different ways. To give our apprentices the best support, we go through the feedback we receive from the awarding bodies in fine detail – so our students know exactly what’s expected of them. “The rest is down to their hard
work, and they’ve delivered over and over again. We’re very proud of them.”
ENCOURAGING TO SEE COMPANIES TAKING PRIDE IN THEIR
APPRENTICES’ Nicky added: “We
want all of our apprentices to get distinctions and to
have a good job at the end of their
apprenticeship. “So, we focused on building partnerships with employers, we
take the time to understand their needs and deliver high calibre candidates to suit - so I’m not surprised that we continue to experience strong employment rates for our apprentices.” Apprentices spend four days a
week at work and one day at college, and the college’s
apprentices work in a range of organisations in and around Milton Keynes, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, for example. “It’s so encouraging to see
companies taking pride in their apprentices and reaping the rewards of their training,” added Caroline. “They understand that these
people will be key to their future success in difficult times.”
For further information on apprenticeships and recruiting apprentices, please contact our Employer Engagement Team: 01908 637056 or email
employerteam@mkcollege.ac.uk
COLLABORATIONS IN THE TIME OF COVID
Chamber members Rotary MK have reached out and forged a new relationship with fellow members 123 Internet Group, after seeing their story published in InBusiness. Rotary MK secretary and joint
president Jill Moss said: “We know we could do so much more with our social media channels, and we’re looking forward to working with 123 Internet Group to maximise their potential. We’re excited to have a new website, and we just need to make sure it’s working!” The team behind Rotary MK have been left frustrated,
like so many businesses, that the Covid-19 restrictions have forced them to cancel their planned fundraising events. Jill was hoping to have used this feature to have announced the annual Rotary Sleigh event – a popular,
22 inbusinessDECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021
family attraction where children can meet Santa. Unfortunately, as anything that attracts a crowd is off the table this year, the team are struggling to provide much-needed support to other local charities, who are being hugely impacted by the pandemic. Thinking outside the box, Rotary MK are now working with a company who
organise online raffles and auctions. Running until the middle of December there are lots of opportunities to win fabulous prizes and experiences – with all proceeds going to say thank you to front-line NHS staff. In pivoting their focus, the Rotary MK team are forging local collaborations that will outlast Covid!
Visit:
www.rotarymk.org
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