SSE Fellow, Rosie Ginday MBE, speaks at Committee on need for social enterprise funding.

Fantastic to see SSE Fellow, Rosie Ginday MBE speaking at the Work and Pensions Committee in the House of Commons earlier this month. Alongside the long-term effects of Covid-19 on the nation’s mental health, they discussed the impact it had on employment – an issue that sits at the heart of our work at SSE.

Rosie established her social enterprise, Miss Macaroon, in 2011 before participating in SSE’s Scale Up programme in 2015. Since then, Miss Macaroon has become hugely successful. Featuring on an episode of NatWest and ITV’s The Intern, Rosie is joined at her production kitchen by Alison Hammond, where they discuss the social impact achieved Miss Macaroon, as well as the developmental journey of the young people supported by Rosie’s social enterprise. Rosie explains that traded income is funnelled into programmes that equip participants with the skills, experience and support they need to pursue future job roles.

The “Macaroons That Make a Difference” programme, a 10-week course for 18 – 35-year-olds who are long term unemployed in the Midlands. Trainees are upskilled during the programme, which includes producing a five-year plan, a current CV, extensive interview practice, industry contacts and help to apply for jobs.

Furthermore, Miss Macaroon participated in the Government-run Kickstart , which ran from 2020 – 2022. This provided the opportunity for attendees to improve their skills and knowledge, equipping them for future job roles and supporting them in achieving their career ambitions.

Speaking at the committee, Rosie explained, “93% of our Miss Macaroons Kickstart employees have gone on to further employment or further education”

At SSE we have provided over 700 social enterprises with financial support, and evidence shows that it has a positive effect on job stimulation. We helped social enterprise leaders attending one of our 2020 programmes to double their full-time equivalent jobs, even during the height of the pandemic, thus highlighting the impact social enterprises can have on rates of employment and overall wellbeing, when they receive proper funding and support.

Social Enterprises such as Miss Macaroon are instrumental in increasing social mobility and we were delighted to see them amplifying their experience and impact to government. It is SSE’s mission to fund and support many more social enterprises in low-income areas to achieve further impact.

“I was delighted to attend the Work and Pensions Committee to talk about the plan for jobs and employment support yesterday at Westminster.

There was a real consensus of best practice and improvements on how to support people out of work and economically inactive to build their skills and confidence and gain and maintain jobs.”

-Rosie Ginday MBE