Social Value at Grassroots
At GR, recruitment isn’t just about filling vacancies — it’s about creating opportunities, building confidence, and opening doors for people who might otherwise be left behind.
As a Stockport-based business with strong community roots, we’re proud to play an active role in promoting social mobility, supporting local organisations, and giving our time and skills to make a meaningful difference.
Our social value strategy is built around four core pillars that reflect what matters most to us and to the communities we work in:
Supporting Students and Young People
We deliver practical, accessible careers support to help the next generation get work-ready — from CV writing workshops to speed networking events and one-to-one mentoring.
What we’ve done
- Delivered over 60 careers talks, workshops and mock interview sessions in local secondary schools and colleges.
- Supported 1,000+ young people since 2022 through Post-16 Careers Week activities, employability workshops and one-to-one mentoring.
- Organised large-scale Speed Networking events in partnership with GMCA and PiE to connect 140+ Year 10–11 students with 60+ real employers.
Championing Social Mobility
We actively engage with local partners to support individuals facing barriers to work — whether that’s due to long-term unemployment, disability, housing insecurity or being new to the UK — offering practical, tailored help to find work.
What we’ve done:
- Provided mentoring, training and job search support for over-50s jobseekers, care leavers, refugees, and previously homeless individuals.
- Supported 100+ long-term unemployed residents through targeted Restart Scheme job fairs and employability workshops.
- Helped local employers hire inclusively through Steps to Work programmes, Work & Skills Agreements and regeneration project commitments.
Advocating Inclusive Recruitment and Best Practice
We’re committed to raising standards in the recruitment industry – not just through our own services, but by supporting other employers to recruit fairly, transparently, and inclusively.
What we’ve done
- Founded the Equal Futures EDI Group, a free networking and advisory forum for HR managers and business leaders to share best practice.
- Achieved Membership of the GM Good Employment Charter – embedding service excellence and fairness in our own practices.
- Shared insights and challenged thinking through the Recruiter’s Toolkit blog, careers panels, and employer training on inclusive recruitment.
Proactive Support for Stockport’s VCFSE Sector
We know how vital the local voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector is — and we’re proud to offer hands-on support, sponsorship and time to help it thrive.
What we’ve done:
- Delivered 400+ hours of volunteering and pro bono support since 2022, including youth groups and charities such as Engage Grow Go and Sector 3.
- Sponsored and supported community initiatives including Mission Christmas and Stockport Rocks, while joining the Proper Good Business Club to strengthen business–community links.
- Encourage all staff to take two paid volunteering days each year, supporting causes from Girlguiding to grassroots football.
Our Impact
Over the past five years, we’ve delivered a wide range of initiatives to support young people, help disadvantaged jobseekers back into work, and champion inclusive hiring. We believe in doing the right things, in the right way, for the right reasons — and that means embedding social value into everything we do.
2024
A year of evolution, shifting from delivery to influence — launching the Equal Futures EDI Networking Group, building community partnerships, and shaping fairer recruitment across Stockport.
2023
A year of deeper reach, with programmes for disadvantaged groups, conclusion of Stockport Jobs Match, and achieving GM Good Employment Charter membership.
2022
Our first year of social value delivery — laying strong foundations by supporting students, disadvantaged jobseekers, and local community groups across Stockport.
The Stockport Award
In 2022, we were honoured to received ‘The Stockport Award’ at Stockport Business Awards in recognition of our ongoing CSR work and our particular contribution to supporting local businesses and residents during the Covid pandemic.
During this period, we volunteered as part of SMBC’s Economic Resilience Taskforce to discuss the crisis response and potential plans of support. Within days, we created Stockport Jobs Match and continued to deliver this service for three years.
Stockport Jobs Match
We don’t just talk about social value — we measure it. Between 2022–2023 alone, we delivered over £527,000 in verified social value through our work on the Stockport Jobs Match contract (exceeding our original target by 380%). This included:
- 3,863 hours of career mentoring
- 393.5 hours dedicated to supporting young people into work
- 544 volunteer hours to support local VCFSEs
Want to Work With Us?
Whether you’re an employer looking to build a more inclusive workforce, a local school seeking careers support, or a community group looking for volunteers — we’d love to hear from you.
