Streetscape, the award-winning social enterprise that helps young unemployed people to find employment as landscape gardeners, has received its second Ford Transit van from Paragon Software Systems.
The first cohort of qualified Streetscape apprentices has now left the organisation and all have found employment, with the second group of apprentices in place and receiving training. Paragon, the routing and scheduling software company, has been a loyal Streetscape supporter since its launch in 2010.
The new van is essential to helping transport the expanding team of staff and new apprentices from Streetscape’s headquarters in Myatt’s Fields Park in Lambeth to commercial and residential sites.
“Paragon has yet again stepped forward to help solve the logistics challenge of getting our teams of apprentices, tools and materials from site to site, enabling our apprentices to learn to maximum effect on-the-job. With this new van we also have even greater flexibility to offer our landscape services across South and South-East London,” says James Gubb, Streetscape’s Co-founder and CEO.
“Streetscape is going from strength to strength and we are proud to be achieving our aims with the support of companies such as Paragon. We have seen our first two apprentices graduate from Streetscape and find employment and have recently recruited a new landscape gardener to take on our third team of apprentices. It’s an exciting time for us,” says Guy Watts, Streetscape’s Co-founder and Head of Business Development.
William Salter, MD, Paragon Software Systems adds: “Streetscape is a fantastic success story of our time. The founders – Guy Watts and James Gubb – have worked hard under very challenging economic conditions and, with the first apprentices leaving to engage in employment, they both can take heart in seeing their labour bear fruit. Paragon is proud to support their venture. Guy and James have great vision for Streetscape, they have built a strong team of people and they deserve every success.”
Streetscape provides apprenticeships in landscape gardening to 18-25 year olds who are long-term unemployed, helping them to build the skills, experience and attributes they need to fulfil their dreams and move into and retain work: growing lives, transforming landscapes. In addition to providing the fleet, Paragon has helped to develop Streetscape by acting as mentors to the founders of the organisation.
