Congratulations to Meta Versluys from our HR team, who has been named Outstanding Diversity and Employment Champion by Leadership Through Sport & Business (LTSB). Here’s why this award means so much to us.
Who are LTSB?
LTSB are a growing social mobility charity, providing support to talented young people who, without LTSB’s help, might otherwise not realise their full leadership potential.
As their name suggests, this partly involves sport. Training as community coaches with LTSB’s football club foundation partners enables candidates to gain skills including planning, communication and motivating others.
What about the B in LTSB? At the same time as studying for AAT accountancy qualifications, candidates take 18-month paid apprenticeships with employers in the financial services industry. When the candidates graduate from the LTSB programme, many of those employers offer them permanent positions and careers. We’re proud to be among those employers.
Working with LTSB
BKL and LTSB have been working together since 2012, the charity’s first year. Meta has led this work for us.
We don’t just provide the 18-month paid training. Right from the outset we offer long term employment and a real career. We’ve been able to give employment to eleven LTSB apprentices, including the seven working with us now.
We have always appreciated the value of giving opportunities to school leavers, not just to graduates. Our youngest partner, Jon Wedge, joined BKL as a trainee straight from school. Supporting LTSB made sense to us.
Among the apprentices who’ve made a difference at BKL is Fabio Riccio: LTSB North London Apprentice of the Year 2017. Another is Bola Lawal: LTSB West London Apprentice of the Year 2017 and Rising Star of the Year finalist at this year’s Women in Finance Awards.
We enjoy supporting LTSB on social media and at their events, from speed interviewing evenings to their annual Women in Leadership conferences. At the recent graduation ceremony for LTSB’s 2016/17 intake, the charity surprised us by announcing Meta as their Outstanding Diversity and Employment Champion.
Here’s Meta with her award and some of our current LTSB apprentices:
Jeff Hartstone, our senior partner, says: “Like LTSB, BKL is committed to helping bright, dedicated people from diverse backgrounds to develop in meaningful roles: we benefit and our clients benefit. We are delighted that LTSB have recognised that, and Meta’s leading role in it, by giving her this award. We will continue to do justice to LTSB by working with them to invest in outstanding people.”
Meta says: “LTSB graduation ceremonies are always proud moments for me. Being awarded the title of Outstanding Diversity and Employment Champion, which I wasn’t expecting, made me even more proud. We all value the contributions that LTSB apprentices make at BKL and how well they respond to our support. I’m looking forward to many more years of working together with them.”
To find out more about the opportunities we offer to apprentices and trainees, take a look at our graduate/school leaver hire page. You can also read about us on Not Going to Uni.
