What Working Rite stands for

The aim of Working Rite is to promote a proven and successful work-based mentoring formula that supports teenagers achieve maturity and readiness for work.

Where Working Rite came from

Working Rite is a social enterprise. It constituted as non-profit distributing company using the Community Interest Company (CIC) model in June 2008. Working Rite began with two founding directors - Sandy Campbell and Allan Nicol. Working Rite CIC, as it is now known, has expanded, with three part time employees and a new board member. However, the development of Working Rite goes back to the beginning of the millennium.

In 2001 Sandy Campbell, then a self-employed community regeneration consultant, began developing the concept of the 'Leith Mentoring Project'. Sandy canvassed for support in the local area for the idea, the aim being to find mentoring opportunities, matching teenage boys with local tradesmen by taking on local construction projects. In February 2003 Sandy worked with Port of Leith Housing Association to help them develop their wider role in the community. Sandy introduced the concept of the Leith Mentoring Project to Port of Leith and secured funding that enabled the project to go ahead.

The Project (known as TOIL – Training Opportunities in Leith) was launched in February 2004 with Allan Nicol as the Project Co-ordinator. Allan brought with him his experience as a former training instructor and self-employed builder. He had gone from the trades into training and discovered that the classroom didn't work - and it wasn't what the tradesmen wanted either. Allan introduced key additional elements shaping the project to really meet the needs of local tradesmen; in effect turning the model into a viable business model.

In 2005 Sandy started to market the model under the banner name of 'Working Rite' in order to reach more youngsters by expanding into other areas. The Govan project (YETS) was established in January 2006 and the Perth project (Toolkit) was launched 6 months later.

Interest in the method was beginning to grow. The Herald published a full page article on the method in January 2007 and following this Sandy secured the interest of the SNP in the run up to the Scottish Parliamentary elections of that year. Working Rite was written into the manifesto and following the SNP's election success, ministers and civil servants have been in discussions with Working Rite CIC to explore how the expansion of the model can be supported.

Meanwhile interest in the model was growing across the border. In the summer of 2007 the first English project was launched in Sheffield under the name Working Rite Sheffield. Sunderland and Newcastle followed in the winter of 2007/08. Translating the method from Scottish to English funding and training regimes has presented new challenges but also exciting opportunities. Working Rite fills a yawning gap in the market in England; dominated as it is by the vocational qualification classroom approach.

Early in 2008 Allan left the TOIL project to help with the roll out of the method. Working Rite CIC soon became established as a social enterprise and investment was secured from 2 venture philanthropy funds - the Wood Family Trust and the Laidlaw Youth Trust. In April Working Rite CIC opened their new offices in the home of the idea - Leith. In 2009, Working Rite sought advice on developing a more sustainable financial model for the organisation.

The Young Foundation’s Learning Launchpad's were and are working closely in helping to create a revenue model which reflects the value of the scheme, and investment to compliment the management team. Said Sandy "the help from Learning Launchpad has given us the confidence, support and practical knowledge to scale up on the basis of good solid financial considerations - as well as some well targeted finance. They haven't been shy about challenging our assumptions when necessary but were always focused on finding pragmatic solutions based around an understanding of our business capacity."

The Centre for Social Justice recognised the success and potential of Working Rite by granting them their 2009 Award for Social Enterprise, saying that the oranisation was an “excellent example of the third sector’s capabilities: providing innovative solutions to problems that have long defeated the State”. Politicians continue to endorse Working Rite, with Lord Freud announcing at the 2009 Conservative Party Conference that "Inspired by the successful Working Rite model, we will match up 100,000 young people with sole traders for a 6 months work experience. Your first boss - one of the most influential people in so many of our lives. We are calling on sole traders to seize this opportunity. We will strip away the bureaucracy and let them teach the youngsters. It's a win for them; a win for the teenager, and a win for society."