OREANDA-NEWS. June 20, 2012. Fujitsu UK & Ireland has chosen its first two employees to become Business in the Community (BITC) Business Connectors, to be seconded into their communities to support local initiatives.

The two employees will be trained by BITC and tasked with creating connections between the private sector and community organisations. Their salary will be paid in full by Fujitsu throughout their 12-month secondment. The BITC Programme is supported by Ј4.8m from the Big Lottery Fund, and aims to recruit and support over 670 Business Connectors nationwide over five years.

Kelly Metcalf from Manchester joined Fujitsu six years ago and is now an HR manager. She wants to focus on employability projects, particularly among young people. This plays to her strengths in the field of human resources, and will contribute to tackling the issue of workless households in the North-West. Kelly has discovered that, while 15% of children nationwide live in workless households, in parts of Manchester this figure is as high as 40%.

Caroline Seldon from Basingstoke has worked for Fujitsu for eleven years, and currently heads up a team of almost 150 people at the heart of the company’s software division. Caroline is assessing a number of worthy initiatives in her local area, including those aimed at tackling homelessness, disabled access and transport for the elderly.

The two Connectors were selected by the CEO at Fujitsu, after a rigorous application process. In total, 50 employees applied. They start their BITC training in early July and will be kicking off on their chosen projects shortly afterwards.

Duncan Tait, CEO at Fujitsu UK & Ireland, said: “Corporate Social Responsibility is part of Fujitsu’s DNA and we were committed to social and environmental causes long before corporate responsibility gained its place on today’s business agenda.

"Last year, we became the technology partner to BITC on its crucial Business Connectors programme, and are keen to use today’s news of its new funding to announce we will join the growing number of companies seconding people to the programme. I am delighted Kelly and Caroline will be able to make a tangible difference in their local communities."
Fujitsu has also provided free access to its cloud-based "Facebook-style" platform to help Business Connectors nationwide to share information and ease communication between the organisations involved in individual projects.