Diversity and Inclusion – MOB Academy
Our clients often ask us as a London-based recruitment agency what our policy is for diverse and inclusive hiring, as well as what commitments we have made either externally or internally in relation to diversity and inclusion.
Today we wanted to share the contribution that our co-founder, Jeremy Nicholls, has been making to a new school on the Gold Coast in Australia where he is now based.
Jeremy is a “Founding Father” of MOB Academy, assisting them last year in raising $800,000 AUD to open a school dedicated to helping disengaged 15 – 18 year old boys become better men.
The school opened in March 2020, just as COVID-19 hit. There was a huge need in the community for MOB and, as a designated special school helping boys at risk, it was allowed to stay open during the pandemic. Within just three months almost 100 boys had been enrolled – most of whom were either sporadically attending, had prematurely left, or had been expelled from local schools. These boys were completely disengaged from the school system, some were homeless and almost all lacked mentors in their lives.
MOB Academy quickly became a safe space where the boys could build each other up, as opposed to being torn down. Key mentors, of which Jeremy was one, were invited in to the school to talk to the boys, to share their stories and to give them the tools and knowledge to help them make a success of their lives.
Jeremy shared a number of key success principles with the boys and following on from this he became a key figure in what became known as MOB Success – the last part of the puzzle moving from Engagement through to Education and Life Skills and finally on to Pathways to help get the boys to become useful, self-sustaining net contributors to the community through becoming part of the workforce.
Jeremy has spent several Friday mornings with the boys helping them to gain confidence and take their dreams forward. He’s also helped them write their first CV; thought of different ways to look for work and helped with presentation and interviewing skills. He has also joined them on work exposure visits to highly successful local businesses, some of which are listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.
We don’t tend to talk about ourselves too much, preferring to listen to and understand the needs of our candidates and clients. One of those needs is to understand that we don’t just have a policy for diversity and inclusion, but that we take steps – from the top down – to make a difference to whichever local community we can each support, especially when it comes to the world of work and recruitment.
If you are a candidate looking for your next temporary or permanent office support role in London, or a client requiring assistance in recruitment please contact our team so we can help you with your search at hello@australasian.co.uk
Take care, stay positive and we hope to see you soon!