The social entrepreneur who has just won two Institute of Directors awards says businesses can help keep young people out of jail.
Graham Bell is chief executive of the £16 million annual turnover Kibble Education and Care Centre, in Paisley, Renfrewshire and after lifting both the Glasgow and West of Scotland and Voluntary Sector Director of the Year awards said:
“Nothing stops a jail sentence like a job.”
He is urging business leaders to look at the long-term benefits to their own companies and society in general by giving young people from difficult backgrounds the chance of work.
Kibble is the largest multi-service centre in the United Kingdom specialising in work with young people at risk. It provides community outreach, residential care, secondary education, intensive fostering, secure care and employment training for care leavers delivered through a portfolio of social enterprises.
It employs more than 400 staff and is one of the top six employers outside the public sector in Renfrewshire.
KibbleWorks, is the social enterprise and job training wing of the organisation and its businesses provide work experience to boys including warehousing; joinery; metal fabrication; promotional products; gardening, catering and car mechanics.
“Our aim is to prepare boys for the world of work,” says Graham Bell. “Our range of businesses operate in the real world competing in the marketplace for work and at the same time using the pre-apprentice model getting young ready for the workplace.
“We don’t just give the boys skills to do a particular job, but we go back to basics and teach them the values of the simplest of things like actually turning up for work, taking instruction and the way they should behave in the workplace.
“How many times have we heard managers bemoaning the fact that young people just don’t have the basic disciplines for the workplace? A big part of our work is getting the kids to understand the nature of work, not necessarily the work itself.”
He continued: “Many of the boys we have at Kibble haven’t had the best start in life and if they don’t go out into the world properly equipped to hold down a job and play a positive role in society they could end up in a downward spiral of crime and end up in jail.
“We’ll do our bit by bridging the gap between school and being work ready and employable. But businesses have to play their part and be willing to give these youngsters the opportunity.
“Not only can these boys help bridge the skills gap, but the old adage that good business is good for society and good society is good for business has never been more true.”