Shaw Trust

Shaw Trust is a charity in the UK for helping disabled and disadvantaged people into employment and independent living. It was formed in the village of Shaw in Wiltshire in 1982.^[1]

Shaw Trust has been a registered charity since 1982 and is one of the largest third sector providers of employment services for people with a disability or at disadvantage in the UK.

Shaw Trust employs nearly 1,600 people across over 200-plus locations. They are supported by over 600 volunteers and deliver contracts for eight major funding agencies including the European Social Fund, the Department of Work and Pensions and the Big Lottery Fund.^[2]

Shaw Trust's mission and values

Vision is for: A society in which everyone has the opportunity for employment, inclusion and independence.

Mission is to: Deliver services for people at disadvantage so they can gain life and employability skills in order to live more independently, secure sustainable employment and actively contribute to family and community life.

Shaw Trust's work

The Trust delivers both mainstream (Work Programme) and specialist (Work Choice) employment support schemes across Britain. The charity helps people gain skills and find work via a wide range of activities including education and skills contracts, 49 shops and a national volunteering programme as well as health and social enterprise projects.

Shaw Trust helps people gain qualifications through specialised programmes, and helps people seeking work through support in job search skills, interview practice and practical help to enter employment.

Shaw Trust is also an Approved Sponsor for Academies, and sponsors the Shaw Education Trust.

Community enterprises and projects

Shaw Trust runs a range of enterprises and projects – many of which are open to the public – across sectors including catering, recycling and horticulture. These initiatives are firmly embedded in the local communities and provide clients with a broad range of learning and skills development as well as employment opportunities.

People taking part benefit from a range of initiatives including accredited on-site training, work experience and employment, supervisory roles and core learning such as numeracy, literacy and IT skills.

Horticulture

In 2010/11 our horticulture social enterprises provided employment and training opportunities for over 1000 young people and adults with challenging barriers to employment.

• Clamp Hill, Stanmore
• Hampshire
• Palmer Gardens, Garden Centre, Trowbridge
• Portsmouth
• Seaham
• Stockton
• Westbank Enterprises

Wood recycling

Shaw Trust offers wood recycling services at:

• South London (Scadbury Park)

Manufacturing

Shaw Trust Industries (Doncaster) is a factory run as a social enterprise by the Trust. They manufacture the following products:

• Plastic protective edging
• Electromagnetic powder coating
• Injection moulding

Food services

Shaw Trust has catering services ranging from cafes serving delicious food to our 'tuck by truck' snack delivery business.

• Suffolk

Shaw Trust shops

Shaw Trust has 49 charity shops across England and Wales, stocking a wide range of items that have been donated for resale. All shops are staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers and Shaw Trust staff. The income raised from our shops goes to projects that support disabled and disadvantaged people in local communities.

Their shops also help develop are clients’ employability skills through work experience and work placements. They provide a safe and supportive environment for clients to develop confidence, learning and skills.

Shaw Education Trust

In 2014, the Department for Education awarded Approved Sponsor of Academy status to the Trust. A multi-academy trust, Shaw Education Trust, was created to support special schools and mainstream schools serving disadvantaged communities.

Shaw Education Trust schools

• Blackfriars Academy, Newcastle-under-Lyme
• Coppice Academy, Newcastle-under-Lyme
• Walton Hall Academy, Eccleshall
• Wolstanton High School, Newcastle-under-Lyme
• Saxon Hill Community School, Lichfield

Justice services

Since January 2010, the NOMS European Social Fund Co-financing programme has been working with offenders across England. National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice, which brings together the Probation and Prison Service to enable more efficient and effective delivery of services. A key objective for NOMS is the reduction of re-offending.

In 2015, the government announced the outcome of the latest NOMS tender opportunities to work with offenders. Shaw Trust formed an alliance with Crime Reduction Initiatives for a number of the tender opportunities and will work with offenders in the East of England, London, West Midlands, North East and the South West.

External links

• Shaw Trust website
• Shaw Education Trust

References