Men recovering from addiction receive jobs boost thanks to The Carpenter’s Arms latest employability initiative

The employment opportunities of men recovering from addiction have been given a welcome boost through a new partnership between The Carpenter’s Arms and local business Radius Vehicle Solutions.

The Carpenter’s Arms proposed the employment initiative to Radius with the aim of reducing both unemployment and future addiction amongst residents moving on from the charity. Drug dependency is three times more prevalent amongst those on out-of-work benefits according to The Centre for Social Justice’s recent report ‘Still Ambitious for Recovery’. Equipping residents with the practical skills they need to thrive in the workplace is therefore a vital piece of the charity’s recovery programme.

The initiative, which began in the summer, now sees seven residents of the charity travel across to the Radius site at Six Hills three days each week. Once there, their roles involve car detailing and vehicle shunting, as well as grounds and site maintenance.

When on site, the men act as ambassadors for the charity so the candidate selection process has been suitably rigorous. Once a resident has expressed an interest in participating with their keyworker, an internal panel at the charity reviews their application before passing on their recommendations to Radius. Radius then complete their own recruitment, undertaking all due diligence checks, offering full safety and job-related training and supplying uniforms.

CEO of The Carpenter’s Arms Richard Spence said: “Collaborating with local employers like Radius in this way has brought many benefits. It demonstrates to our residents that there are employers out there who wish to support them in their recovery AND employment. It helps to foster a growth mindset as it demonstrates to the residents involved that tangible results come from their own efforts and motivation.

“For local employers like Radius, it means helping them address any recruitment and retention headaches. And for wider society and the tax payer, it means reducing the burden of high unemployment.”

Gareth Jones, Managing Director of Radius Vehicle Solutions, added: “We have found the programme both worthwhile and beneficial, from both a social and operational perspective.  We are happy to support and equally have seen benefits for our company.  The teams from The Carpenter’s Arms have been diligent, courteous and enthusiastic in all the activities they have undertaken for us and I’m pleased to say that it’s working well”.

Plans are now afoot to develop roles in vehicle body building for Carpenter’s Arms residents at a second Radius site which it is hoped will support those currently on the programme to secure longer-term employment.