What have Hearts and Rangers got in common--yes both have Accies i/c
Martin Bain at Ibrox and Campbell Ogilvie at Tynecastle

THE HERALD REVEALS

Rangers and Hearts recognised at Community

Mark awards
SIMON BAIN
July 08 2008

Comment
Glasgow Rangers and Heart of Midlothian football clubs are among five smaller Scottish businesses to be recognised in the first CommunityMark awards, developed by Business in the Community.
The UK-wide standard, intended to promote investment by firms in their communities, has been conferred on 21 UK companies est- imated to have invested �600m in their communities in the past year, including employee time.
Scotland was prominent in the pioneering awards, the two football clubs being joined by Design Links, a communications agency in Leith, the Town House boutique hotel group, and the Stirling-based recruitment consultancy Contract Scotland.


Among other winners at last night's ceremony in London were HBOS, BT, Tesco, Sainsbury, and the Big Four accountancy practices.
Business in the Community says successful CommunityMark companies have passed a "rigorous, independent assessment including scrutiny by their employees and community partners".
Samantha Barber, chief executive of Scottish Business in the Community, said: "It's fantastic that five Scottish SMEs have achieved the CommunityMark. They are in the illustrious company of many FTSE-100 plcs who have far greater resources at their disposal. It shows that if you are for and of your community you can punch above your weight on the UK stage."
John Denham, secretary for innovation, universities and skills, said: "If the CommunityMark helps to bring about more effective partnerships between business and community groups, it holds out tremendous potential to deliver long-term sustainable solutions that will benefit us all."
Any for-profit company working in the UK, of any size or sector, can apply for the CommunityMark, having "measured and evaluated the difference that their investment has in the community and on the business".
Martin Bain, chief executive of Rangers FC, said: "Football has the power to capture the imagination of people and by harnessing their interest and increasing motivation the club can really help them reach their potential."
The club's community programme includes Support Employment, said to be "an innovative way of helping individuals who are furthest from the labour market back into employment", through training in community football coaching.
Business in the Community says: "Soft skills such as teamwork, communication, and motivation are highly prevalent in sport and are directly transferable for use in the working environment.
"The coaching staff at Rangers are well aware that the skills their footballers take for granted - discipline, communication etcetera - are not always as prevalent in the wider community."
The project is delivered in partnership with Careers Scotland, Jobcentre Plus and the Glasgow Employer Coalition and each 10-week course has up to 20 trainees.
Over the last three years around two-thirds of participants have progressed into employment or further training, and Rangers also offers two course graduates the opportunity of a six-month full-time placement within its community department.

This article was posted on 8-Jul-2008, 20:05 by Hugh Barrow.