DHL Express and Street League tackle youth unemployment with 100th placement this year

Youth charity Street League celebrates 100th placement in partnership with DHL Express. 

55 young people will take up placements with the international shipping company to help meet demand over the peak Christmas period.

December 2019 – 55 young people (aged 16-24) from disadvantaged backgrounds have been recruited by DHL Express over the Christmas period in collaboration with the DHL UK Foundation and Street League, the UK’s leading sport for employment charity.

The new recruits will work across DHL Express service centres in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and London to help manage demand over the peak Christmas period and will handle outbound shipments to destinations around the globe.

This latest intake takes the number of people securing a role via the programme to over 100 in 2019, and 150 since the partnership began in 2018. Most placements lead to a job offer, with an invaluable reference offered by DHL to those who go on to educational courses or alternative employment.

Chandler Oliver-Thompson, now an Operations Processor at DHL Express was offered a permanent position with the company after he undertook a four-week placement of 100 hours in 2019. Chandler says, “I was feeling demotivated about my future job prospects but taking part in Street League really helped me focus on what I wanted to achieve. I have learned new skills, made some new friends and started to earn a regular income.” 

Joe Flack, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Street League says, “Street League work with young people living in the most disadvantaged areas to tackle youth unemployment. We equip young people with the tools and confidence to succeed and gain employment.”

Latest figures show that 800,000 young people across the country are not in education employment or training (NEET) with the percentage of unemployed 16-24s higher than the national average. Street League aims to tackle this by breaking down barriers between young people and employers through a combination of confidence-building sport sessions, accredited learning and practical tips like CV writing and interview preparation.

Ian Wilson, Chief Executive Officer UK&I at DHL Express says, “Being involved with Street League has been incredibly rewarding for us and we welcome the diversity that these young people bring to our teams. We regularly find that, when in the workplace, they can really develop and thrive, and many have gone on to become permanent colleagues within the business.”