More Than 100 People Celebrate a Year of Walsall-Based Social Mobility Programme Tackling Youth Unemployment

The Midcounties Co-operative and local social enterprise Miss Macaroon celebrated the one-year anniversary of The Fairer Futures Programme last week, the groundbreaking partnership programme focused on supporting young people in the West Midlands to overcome barriers to employment.

More than 100 people attended the celebration event at Walsall Town Hall, including Mayor Cllr. Chris Towe, representatives from The Midcounties Co-operative and Miss Macaroon, graduates of the programme and multiple local organisations who have supported graduates into work after they’ve finished the scheme.

The Fairer Futures Programme is open to young people aged 18-30 who are facing challenges in finding long term employment. These challenges can range from overcoming social anxiety, the impact of disability or ill health, have been in touch with the criminal justice system, or have issues around childcare.

It operates from The Midcounties Co-operative’s Your Co-op Food store in Walsall town centre where unemployment rates show almost 6% of the population are claiming benefits with 22.4% of 16–64-year-olds being classed as economically inactive^[1].   

Since May 2023, the programme has successfully supported almost 90% of the participants into work (18 young people), including roles at Your Co-op Food, IKEA and South Saffs Water. Within the next year it aims to support another 24 young people into work and, crucially, The Midcounties Co-operative and Miss Macaroon are calling for businesses across the region and the UK to join them in expanding the programme further and helping even more young people into employment.

The celebration event saw two panel discussions highlighting the impact of the programme so far – one focused on the graduates sharing their experience and the other hearing from local third-party organisations, including Just Straight Talk, Walsall Works and Steps to Work, on the importance of schemes like The Fairer Futures Programme.

The graduates emphasised the real difference it’s made to their life, guiding them to rebuild their self-confidence and understand how to tackle their anxieties, whilst also gaining work experience in the store, all of which has helped them to feel ready for future employment.  

In fact, 89% of graduates who have completed the programme to date state that their confidence has increased significantly since joining the programme.

The panel of third-party organisations shed light on the many benefits of The Fairer Future Programme’s holistic approach, with the discussion focused on how helping young people unpick their own specific challenges is the key to empowering them about their potential.

Phil Ponsonby, CEO of The Midcounties Co-operative, said: “Initiatives like this one absolutely take a village to ensure they succeed. Working in collaboration with the Miss Macaroon team, it’s no secret that it’s taken lot of hard work to develop the programme from a simple idea. And now, one-year on, I couldn’t be prouder to see the achievements of the programme so far, and most importantly, the impact it’s had on the participants.

As a large organisation in the area, it’s our responsibility to get people into work and, by partnering with Miss Macaroon, it has enabled us to positively impact the Walsall community and contribute to a brighter, fairer future for all – ultimately doing good together. It absolutely goes to show that taking the leap and investing in projects like this is so important and we hope The Fairer Futures Programme inspires other businesses to launch similar projects to widen the support for unemployed young people.”

Miss Macaroon CEO Rosie Ginday MBE said: “We wanted to make sure that we listened to what young people needed. Ultimately, emotional wellbeing positively enhances life experience and we consistently hear from our graduates that the connections, friendships and confidence they’ve developed have changed their life – whilst also upskilling and supporting them into work. It’s the holistic approach which sets The Fairer Futures Programme apart and makes it a legacy for the local area - we’re looking forward to seeing what the next year brings!”

Luke Jordan, a graduate of The Fairer Futures Programme, said: “Before I started the programme I was lacking confidence and I struggled with my social anxiety but taking part in the programme completely changed my life. I haven’t felt this confident in 10 years, it helped me to re-discover myself and build friendships for life.

The Fairer Futures Programme’s impact is absolutely down to the unwavering support of the people who run it, they are dedicated to building our skills and experience to take into the next chapter of our lives and are constantly there to provide advice and guidance – I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for me.”                              

The three-month programme is focused on holistic people development, ranging from developing social skills in a work environment to improving the participant’s self-confidence. It also provides 1-2-1 support, counselling, training and work experience and, in some cases, access to further education to help participants achieve their longer-term career ambitions. Support is also available for six months after the graduates complete the scheme, to provide additional emotional and employability advice.

Miss Macaroon is a social enterprise based in Birmingham and founded by Rosie Ginday, that produces premium macaroons whilst providing opportunities for young adults seeking a career and building confidence in themselves. 100% of the business’ profits are reinvested into helping unemployed young people gain skills that will help to change their lives.

The Midcounties Co-operative is fully owned by its 700,000 members and operates the Your Co-op family of businesses, including more than 230 Your Co-op Food stores across the West Midlands, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. They also trade nationally through its Your Co-op Travel, Your Co-op Childcare, Your Co-op Energy and Your Co-op Broadband and Mobile businesses.

Every time a member shops or chooses a service, the Society also give backs to the community – from buying a pint of milk to booking a holiday, doing good together.