ARAMARK Creates Workforce Readiness Resource Center for Olympic Borough of Newham

(3BL Media) London England -  May 21, 2012 - As part of an ongoing effort to help regenerate the Olympic borough of Newham, more than 100 volunteers from ARAMARK, a global provider of professional services, will create an ARAMARK Building Community (ABC) Opportunity Zone to help prepare and connect residents to the workforce at Newham-based charity Community Links, an ABC partner for more than three years. Community Links runs a wide range of community services and projects for all ages.  For the last 30 years, the organization has annually helped thousands of children, teenagers, adults, and older people in deprived neighborhoods.

ARAMARK employees from the team working the games this summer will volunteer during the annual Business In The Community Give and Gain Day as part of ARAMARK Building Community, the company’s global philanthropic and volunteer program focused on strengthening local community centers and helping struggling families. Through ABC, ARAMARK employees use their culinary, hospitality, food and nutrition, facilities management and human resources talents to make an impact on communities in need.

To create the ABC Opportunity Zone, the ARAMARK volunteers will turn an underutilized space into a hub of opportunity for local residents looking to get back into the workforce. The new space will include freshly painted walls, new furniture including bookshelves, computer stations, inspiration murals and more. The volunteers will also create a career wardrobe where people can obtain clothes for interviews and jobs and which will be initially stocked by donations from ARAMARK employees.

Following the games, ARAMARK volunteers will also host a series of Work Ready workshops for youth and adults to help young people learn skills to help them get and keep jobs. Resume writing, workforce etiquette, interview skills, and career wardrobes will be discussed during the workshops. ARAMARK experts and leaders will also provide motivational presentations to inspire young people regarding career opportunities, especially those in the hospitality industry.

The programs and projects align with Community Links’ commitment to workforce readiness and to helping youth and adults remove barriers to employment and prepare and connect them to the workforce.

“The volunteer day at Newham is not only an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to one of the most disadvantaged boroughs in London, and is also about helping some of the borough’s long-term unemployed find work,” said Val Carter, Corporate Responsibility and Learning and Development Director for ARAMARK in the UK. It also is an opportunity for us to all work together in this community ahead of this significant catering contract we’ll be delivering this summer,”

Over the past three years, ARAMARK has partnered with Community Links to enhance facilities at several locations, and educate families on how they can live healthier lives by hosting community health and wellness fairs, host holiday toy drives and more.

About ARAMARK Building Community

ARAMARK Building Community enriches the lives of families in need by supporting local community centers to help people of all generations learn, earn and thrive. ARAMARK recognizes the important role community centers play in addressing the comprehensive needs of individuals and families and is providing a range of resources including grants, volunteers and in-kind contributions. Since 2008, more than 15,000 ARAMARK employees have participated in over 500 volunteer activities. Nearly 3 million individuals and families served by community centers in nearly 50 cities have been aided by the program through workforce training and job placement; nutrition education and awareness programs; access to food and clothing; and by having a safer place to learn and thrive. Visit ARAMARK for more information. Please join us on Facebook.

About ARAMARK

ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, parks and destinations and businesses around the world. The company is recognized as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute, one of the "World's Most Admired Companies" by FORTUNE magazine and one of America's Largest Private Companies by both FORTUNE and Forbes magazines. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 250,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at www.twitter.com/aramarknews.