OGL Computer, one of the largest employers in Wyre Forest, was proud to be nominated as a Responsible Business Champion by Mark Garnier, MP for Wyre Forest. OGL was shortlisted alongside some big names including Budweiser, Manchester Airport and Standard Life Aberdeen.
OGL is a great example of how businesses can embrace a CSR culture to benefit both their local community as well as their own business. “As one of the largest employers in the area, we take our responsibility to support local growth and encourage skills development very seriously and we actively encourage our staff to also take part in fundraising activities for charities as well as local organisations that are important to them such as youth sports clubs, social groups such as choirs and other musical groups,” said Neil Morris.
Mr Morris is, himself, actively engaged with Wyre Forest District Council, North Worcestershire Economic Development & Regeneration, and is also Chairman of ReWyre, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the regeneration of the Wyre Forest area. This enables OGL to contribute to ideas for future economic development and how the region can tackle challenges such as skills gaps and how new and growing businesses can embrace technology to thrive.
“We do a lot of work with local schools and colleges to help shape course content to meet the needs of businesses like ours and we are proud to be one of the founders of the “Opening Doors to Business” initiative which enables school children to visit local businesses to get a flavour of the career paths that are available to them in the local area. This was another key factor that was recognised in our nomination as a Responsible Business Champion.
“OGL is also a huge advocate of Apprenticeships and we were one of the first Wyre Forest businesses to endorse a pledge run by Kidderminster College which encourages businesses to commit that 2.5% of their workforce will be an apprentice. Not only do we currently have seven apprentices in training with plans to double that number this year, but we also have a further 10 employees who started out as apprentices and now hold full-time roles. This is balanced by our long-serving staff who have been with us for more than 10 years, which represent 25% of our total workforce,” continued Neil.
“In a time of low unemployment, when recruiting and retaining staff is a challenge, receiving this recognition for the work we are doing to enhance the lives of our staff and the community around us, is really satisfying. We are a growing business, investing in our staff, our products and services as well as our offices to provide staff with a modern environment in which to thrive. We are thrilled to have been shortlisted,” said Emma Porter, Head of HR at OGL Computer.