Increasing employability skills since 2008

St Luke’s Community Centre provides a range of essential services for residents in Islington.

Around 75,000 people of all ages visit the centre each year to make use of the wealth of activities on offer, from after school clubs and gardening projects to dance classes and subsidised lunches. We provide funding towards the organisation's running costs and our employee volunteers support a number of projects.

Firm Futures

Together with St Luke’s Community Centre and enterprise experts B Consultancy, we deliver Firm Futures, a project which aims to support local people who are not in permanent, full-time employment, to set up their own business. Through a series of monthly workshops and one-to-one support, the programme, which turned 10 in 2023, aims to build participants’ confidence and the skills needed to set up a business.

Our employee volunteers mentor participants over a 12-month period to support them in their business journey and, as part of the workshop series, our lawyers deliver a session that outlines key legal issues and considerations the entrepreneurs need to consider when starting their businesses. We also provide 10 participants per programme cycle with bursaries of up to £2,000 to minimise financial barriers when dealing with start-up costs.

Job Club

Our employee volunteers take part in Job Club, which provides support to local residents that are unemployed or looking to change jobs in their search for work.

Weekly sessions are run at the community centre to provide one-to-one support with CVs, cover letters and interview advice, helping people to identify their strengths when applying or interviewing for jobs. The centre also provides professional attire for local residents attending job interviews.