The Means is currently researching whether employers in Southwark are willing to offer more jobs, apprenticeships and work placements to Southwark residents.

This major commission from Southwark Council is in the form of two different projects:

• We are working with the three Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the north of the borough to find out whether there is a mechanism that can deliver more opportunities from within BID member companies to local residents. Working with the three BID teams, we have spoken to the various publicly-funded employment agencies in the borough as well as some 50 businesses. We also ran a very successful event at Glaziers Hall in May. We are now about to pilot a possible mechanism. 
• In partnership with Black Business Initiative and Local Economic Policy Unit, we are talking to some 80 small and medium-sized businesses throughout the rest of the borough, including a sample from each of the eight community council areas. We are trying to find out whether they are currently recruiting, how they do it, and whether they would consider employing more local people. As part of this project we are also running, or participating in, four events - in Bermondsey (with Bermondsey Business Association), in Peckham (with Black Business Initiative), with Southwark Chamber of Commerce, and in Camberwell with SE5 Forum.