ThinkForward is a charity that supports young people in the UK through long-term coaching and work placements. They prepare young people with the skills and experience they require to transition into employment or further education after they finish school. The DHL UK Foundation have partnered with ThinkForward for 6 years offering crucial financial support alongside business mentoring and delivering careers and employability skills sessions.

The DHL UK Foundation have also been privileged to be a part of ThinkForward’s Making Strides programme. Making Strides supports young adults (aged 16-25) with learning disabilities and/or autism who are NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) or at risk of being NEET, to support them into employment. The programme introduced these young people to DHL through an Extended Recruitment Programme, involving a 3-week work placement where young adults can gain valuable experience, support and potentially secure employment at the end.

DHL have recently supported and completed a work placement programme with young people at the Supply Chain site in Polar Park. This was a huge success which led to one young adult securing a permanent position as a Warehouse Operative.

Polar Park Site Leader Faye Burvill, who oversaw the programme, shared about the experience: “It has been a good learning curve all round. The young people started off as quiet and shy and the comparison to how they show up today is unrecognisable. They now make eye-contact and communicate effectively. It feels like a completely different world to where we were initially.

We are now looking at how we train employees at work and how we can adapt our training to different needs. It has given us a lot of valuable insight into how we can move our training forward in future which is a huge takeaway for us.”

During their placement, the young individuals enhanced vital skills that are essential for the workplace, such as organisation, communication, planning, and confidence-building through their responsibilities. This invaluable experience has given the young adults a competitive edge, giving them an advantage compared to other job seekers in the job market.

Harman, who came through the Making Strides programme and has now landed a full-time role at Polar Park, has been a testament in showing what can be achieved through the initiative. Harman’s manager Neil Araujo expressed, “Harman has been brilliant with his timing; he is always punctual and dependable. He has expressed that he genuinely loves the job, which is wonderful to see and contributes to a positive work environment. In terms of his tasks, he has shown great ability and efficiency in roles such as picking, packing, and put-away. Moreover, his enthusiasm to learn and take on more responsibilities is truly commendable. He seems very eager to expand his skills.”

Faye goes on further to say “I would like to highlight the remarkable growth we’ve seen in Harman over the past few weeks. In his first week, he was sitting alone in the canteen, but now he confidently engages with his colleagues, laughing and chatting during break times. Harman consistently brings a big smile to the workplace, and I have received nothing but positive feedback from his team regarding his contribution to his workload. His progress is truly commendable.”

We want to convey our gratitude to the DHL employees that have supported the Making Strides Programme with such enthusiasm that has led to the ideal result. Finally, a huge well done to Harman for all his hard work!