Partner Article

CloudStratex supports youth homelessness charity Centrepoint with dedicated ‘Office Day’ for young people

Disruptive IT advisory specialist, CloudStratex, has extended its partnership with youth homelessness charity, Centrepoint, by hosting a dedicated ‘Office Day’ to help prepare young people supported by Centrepoint for the world of work.

Established in March 2019, CloudStratex is an outcome-focused firm, dedicated to the implementation of technologies and practices that enable Enterprise organisations to achieve operational efficiency, integration, and resilience through its own incubation and knowledge transfer techniques.

With acute awareness of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on homelessness in the UK, CloudStratex formed an official partnership with Centrepoint in August 2020. Since this time, CSX has hosted a series of fundraising activities and events – with £35,000 donated to the charity so far.

The dedicated ‘Office Day’ provided the opportunity for 5 young people supported by Centrepoint to visit CloudStratex headquarters in London, and gain insight into what it is like working in various departments within a progressive tech company. In addition, the young people benefitted from CV reviews, mock interviews and an industry awareness seminar.

Following positive feedback from the candidates and charity organisers alike, CloudStratex hopes to host additional Office Days in the coming months.

Hollie Dittmer, Financial Controller of CloudStratex, confirmed: “During the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Centrepoint not only lost many funding and volunteering sources, but also experienced a vast increase in demand for its services and support, as more and more young people were faced with homelessness.

Since August 2020, we have hosted a variety of events to help provide vital funds, but felt we could do more in directly supporting the young people impacted by homelessness. The CloudStratex team thoroughly enjoyed hosting our first Office Day and we hope that the candidates who attended are able to take some valuable insight and information forwards as they enter the world of work.“

Founded over 50 years ago, Centrepoint is one of the UK’s leading homelessness charities, which prides itself on helping young people get their lives back on track through the provision of housing, education and physical and mental health support.

Discussing the benefit of the CloudStratex Office Day, Shadé Oladiti, Jobs & Education Team Manager for Centrepoint added: “Not many of the young people who came along knew what to expect but they all left really motivated - one has even put in an application to work as a legal analyst at a similar company. This sort of activity is really important for the young people we support because they often don’t have the contacts to find out about the types of jobs they could do, what to include in a CV or what to expect from an interview.

“We’re so grateful to CloudStratex for giving homeless young people a chance to learn about the tech industry and the opportunities there for young people. Despite the challenges they face many of the young people we support want to and are ready for work if they are given the chance.”

Focused on developing the next generation of business technologists and leaders, CloudStratex has developed its own Talent Academy, which offers funded technical and business professional qualifications and certifications, and now comprises of a growing team of 26.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Stone .