Innovation

Furthermore, Aspire2Access formed a partnership with a childcare organization to provide flexible and affordable childcare to the community to allow parents or guardians to find or retain employment or education.

“In 2017, A2A Childcare Services provided affordable and flexible Childcare provision to 171 children, which have enabled 161 South Ayrshire families to access training, education and employment. This is important in current economic conditions as a number of parents are working on flexible contracts which include part-time hours and shift patterns that change on a regular basis”. (A2A Business Plan, 2017)

The service allows members to pay as they go due to monetary circumstances and unknown work scheduling. The childcare service is innovative in the North Ayr area, as no other council or organization provides such flexibility to parents.

Additionally, A2A provides "Transition to Employment" support. This innovative project delivers employability support to residents who are subject to Community Payback Orders (CPO) or those who are in recovery from substance abuse. The project seeks to support those who may struggle to find jobs after criminal convictions or personal issues. The project is in partnership with South Ayrshire Criminal Justice Team and Alcohol Recovery Services. In 2017 alone, it supported 79 residents and helped 31 of those residents gain labor market qualifications.

Inspiration

After working in the charity sector for close to 30 years, John Reid stated that he was proudest of A2A's survival over the last couple of years. As a manager of a charity for 17 years, he takes inspiration from making sure the charity survives to give the necessary care and support to those who need it. John confesses that it can be a difficult endeavor: “... it is survival, there is not one specific moment. There have been big clients giving us jobs and winning contracts but the survival element has been key.”

This emphasizes A2A's financial reality. However, John is always positive as his main concern is offering opportunities to develop exceptional employment skills, while taking care of his staff and furthering their careers. Aspire2Access is a close-knit charity; in times of struggle, its staff comes together to power through the turbulence.

Overall impact

Even though Aspire2Access only provide support and care to those in the Ayrshire area, its innovative projects are providing solutions for worldwide problems on a smaller scale. These problems are known as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A2A provides help for;

• Goal 1 - No poverty
• Goal 3 - Good Health and Well-Being
• Goal 4 - Quality Education
• Goal 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

The organization offers a variety of services, which are made available to all but mainly aimed at those of a lower income and educational status. John indicated that the business has various services, which it aims to improve through partnership with other businesses to achieve further funding that creates a more effective system.

The childcare scheme allows parents to go out and earn a wage to ensure they have the money to provide a healthy home environment for their families. The service provided also ensures that the children receive efficient care and food while they are within the facility. Furthermore, A2A divides the children into age groups to ensure they have the right attention. For example, John explained that the focus for the older children is on enhancing their learning and educational abilities. All parents are provided with a detailed account of their children's daily activities. The innovative service ensures to promote the SDG’s of no poverty, good health and well-being and quality of education.

Additionally, A2A's organisational goal of generating revenue to put back into the local area extends to that of the sustainable development goal of poverty. According to the Scottish Government, more than a million people are living in poverty in Scotland, equivalent to every one of every five people (The Scottish Government, 2015). As John previously stated, South Ayrshire has a high poverty rate and a lot of the population of Ayrshire depends on benefits. However, with the aid of Aspire2Access and the charity’s employment and apprenticeship opportunities, more than £1 million worth of wages has been invested back into the local area. This is due to the high amount of employees being from the Ayrshire catchment. This helps to reduce poverty in the community.

Business benefit

In previous years A2A has thrived as measured by both projects and revenue. However, due to the funding loss, the enterprise faces a difficult and challenging road ahead.

A2A has experienced a significant drop in revenue from 2016 to 2017, as funding came to an end. Addressing the impact on the business, John said, “Our income from that point went from about £1.5 million down to around £800,000. This has meant we have had quite a significant change in finances and also in our service delivery over the past two years. Over these past two years it’s very much been about survival.”

As a result, the business is now dependent on funding from the likes of The Big Lottery; however, this funding will only last till 2019. Due to the struggle, A2A is looking at others ways of increasing income from organizational sales (i.e. childcare service). The service has thrived over the last decade and is expected only to rise in future years, with an increase of 30 percent in childcare service delivery. Overall the charity employs approximately 40 staff and 20 modern apprentices, giving them the opportunity to train up and become a permanent addition to the company. The majority of staff tend to stay long-term so the retention rate is great, with some staff having been employed within the business for over 20 years. The organization strives for strong employee relationships, even throughout monetary struggles.

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Social and environmental benefit

Aspire2Access is focused on creating opportunities for individuals and supporting in their journey to achieving and retaining employment. A2A supports and provides the tools needed for individuals to better their employability skills to help carry them into higher education or jobs. As previously mentioned, the community payback orders are pivotal to helping the Ayrshire community and improve society. Through helping provide support for employability, the organization is allowing people to make a better life and provide for themselves and their families, even after past mistakes.

John noted that Aspire2Access is more involved in the societal impact, however, A2A still aims to leave a low level of environmental impact by recycling and paperless when needed.

Interview

John Reid, Manager of Training and Employability Department