HOMELESS people in Coventry are being given a helping hand to find work.
West Midlands-based electrical, mechanical and ICT engineering services company, Vinci Energies, has donated £7,000 to Coventry Cyrenians, a charity which helps improve the lives of local vulnerably housed people, and has offered the expertise of its staff to help Coventry’s homeless population training, interview preparation support and CV writing masterclasses.
The £7,000 grant will help the Windsor’s and Refreshed Coffee and Retail Charity Shop – a shop which provides work experience and skills to the long-term unemployed and unemployed young people.
Welcoming the firm’s help, Mike Fowler, chief executive at Coventry Cyrenians, said: “Partnering with Vinci Energies will make a huge contribution to our work to help the unemployed in Coventry get back on their feet.
“The £7,000 grant will enable us buy a new van to support the growing contribution Refreshed and Windsor’s make.
“We believe every young person deserves the best possible chance to secure paid employment.”
The support from Vinci Energies will be delivered through its charitable arm, the Vinci UK Foundation, which provides financial and expert support to groups and charities across the country aimed at tackling exclusion and poor access to employment.
The partnership between the Vinci UK Foundation and the Coventry Cyrenians is just one of 19 the firm has announced across the UK, awarding individual grants between £3,000 and £20,000, totalling nearly £170,000.
Rochdi Ziyat, board director of Vinci UK Foundation and CEO of Vinci Energies UK & ROI, said: “The Vinci UK Foundation will make a material difference to the lives of the most excluded in society across the UK and Republic of Ireland and help to strengthen communities in both countries.
“Backing from Vinci’s expert employees, in addition to generous funding grants, sets the VINCI UK Foundation apart as a supporter of community cohesion.
“By coming together with local charities in partnership we can make a real difference in Coventry, the UK and the Republic of Ireland.”
Visit www.coventrycyrenians.co.uk to find out more about the charity’s work and www.vinci-uk-foundation.co.uk for details about the Vinci UK Foundation.
