Joe's powerful presentation earns standing ovation at the Wellbeing Forum

’Source, Train and Retain’ was the theme of the third Coventry & Warwickshire Workplace Wellbeing Forum which took place at Nettle Hill, Ansty.

The theme was extremely timely following a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce which revealed that firms are facing the highest level of recruitment difficulties on record – news which reflected what local Economy and Skills teams are also reporting.

Businesses from across Coventry and Warwickshire were invited along to the forum to hear from services and teams supporting recruitment, training, and wellbeing opportunities for employees. The day was split into the three areas and, during the ‘source’ section, guests saw presentations discussing recruitment support from Warwickshire Skills Hub and Coventry Inequalities and Migration teams, aS well as external presentations from Thrive into Work and TSOS.

Moving into the ‘Train’ section, guests heard from Warwickshire College Group, Coventry Jobshop and North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College talk about apprenticeships, training and distance learning opportunities.

The final section ‘retain’ held a spotlight on wellbeing and the benefits to having a happier and healthier workforce. Delegates heard about the opportunities to join the Corporate Games and sign up to the Thrive at Work workplace wellbeing accreditation award. The final presentation was a spotlight on Warwickshire County Council’s approach to menopause and how they are supporting employees affected.

The highlight of the event was hearing first hand from Joe Early who is a junior content creator one day a week with TSOS and is at college the rest of the week completing an IT course. Joe shared with the delegates some of his life story including losing a parent and being diagnosed with autism and ADHD, but he refused to let it define him and talked passionately about how a meeting with TSOS changed the path he was taking. Joe’s powerful story affected everyone in the room and as he ended his talk, he was given a standing ovation...a fantastic example of how investing in ‘Source, Train and Retain’ has benefits to employers and residents across the region.