RESPONSIBLE FUTURES PARTNERS

Responsible Futures was formed by the TREES Group along with East Midlands based social enterprises Hill Holt Wood, SEEM and STRIDE and have now been joined by Apex.

Responsible Futures brings together sectorial knowledge from nationally recognised leading social enterprises across the East Midlands region. Between the partners, they currently employ over 200 people and support in excess of 1000 individuals into training and employment.

www.responsiblefutures.org

Apex

Apex Works supports people into training and work. We are a charity which helps people, particularly those facing barriers, to raise their aspirations and achieve their potential.

Apex works has been established for over 28 years and is situated in the heart of the East Midlands. We currently have 70 staff and a pool of volunteers, many of whom are located at Apex House in Leicester City Centre. Over 3,000 people aged from 14-65 years old access our services each year from all the surrounding areas.

Our services include information, advice and guidance about getting training and jobs to anyone either currently working or unemployed, we also deliver training courses at Apex House and help people with job hunting, interview skills and ongoing support when they get into employment.

We offer a number of services to employers including training and skills development for staff and a full recruitment service.

We work with a variety of regional and national partners to deliver a comprehensive range of services including local authorities, schools and education establishments, training and careers organisations, prison services, and employers.

www.apex-works.co.uk

Hill Holt Wood

Hill Holt Wood is both an ancient woodland and a successful and nationally recognised environmental social enterprise. It is a not for profit organisation limited by guarantee.

'Proving the value of ancient woodland in the 21st century'. Hill Holt Wood's mission statement sets out the vision of the business to demonstrate that by managing an ancient woodland in a sustainable and environmental way an income at least as good as intensive agro-business could be achieved. HHW now has a diverse array of income streams including providing an alternative education for young people excluded from school, training, eco-construction, countryside services and woodland management.

'In Perpetuum' The motto for HHW, 'forever', says it all as the underpinning ethos of all we do at Hill Holt is sustainability - the sustainability of the environment, the community and the income generation. A key element is the design of all the buildings on site. The business has worked closely with most East Midland universities to push the boundaries of eco-design. The latest rammed earth conference building, the WREN Hall, adds to existing straw bale and local timber structures, all 'off-grid'.

Research by the University of Leeds identifies the HHW business model as 'sustainable enterprise' and the Department of Business is putting Hill Holt at the heart of its thinking on 'Responsible Futures.'

Hill Holt Wood, sustainable enterprise, a role model for climate action.

www.hillholtwood.com

SEEM

Social Enterprise East Midlands (SEEM) supports and advises social enterprises across the East Midlands. We are a community of social enterprises, social entrepreneurs, business support bodies and individuals working to develop the movement in the East Midlands. Our role is to create an environment in the East Midlands where social enterprise can develop and grow. We do this by:

  • acting as a regional voice for social enterprise
  • influencing and shaping policy
  • sharing understanding of social enterprise structure and good practice
  • providing news, information and resources
  • running training and networking events
  • developing markets and business opportunities


www.seem.uk.net

Stride

STRIDE is an award winning social enterprise operating in Leicester and Nottingham. Over the past 9 years we have been helping local people gain work-related skills, experience and education and have successfully encouraged and supported many into employment.

We provide work experience and accredited training opportunities in real business environments including our warehouse, retail outlets, vocational training departments and support services. Our vocational training includes: Basic Construction Skills, Horticulture, Hair and Beauty, Motor Mechanics, and Catering. We are also accredited to provide ‘Skills for Life’ training in Literacy, Numeracy and ICT.

STRIDE holds the “Investors in People” quality standard award and is an approved City and Guilds Centre. We are committed to the provision of high quality training in a real working environment. We help disadvantaged people to realise their full potential and change their lives for the better.

www.leicesterstride.co.uk