Transforming Foróige with recruiting new Graduate Talent

Over the past 3 years, our Talent Management Team have partnered with Foróige in supporting their recruitment and learning and development for their graduate team.

Foróige is a youth development organisation employing approximately 550 professional staff who work directly with over 50,000 young people and 5,500 volunteers in 26 counties in Ireland. Their purpose is to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their development and in the development of society.

The Context

The For Purpose Social Impact Graduate Programme was established by 2into3 to provide a structured and unified graduate programme for the charity and community sector in Ireland. The graduate programme is ran by our Talent Management Team at 2into3.

We began working with Foróige in 2021, with the recruitment of two HR Graduate Assistants. Since then, our relationship has grown into providing a consistent pipeline of HR professionals, as well as Coordinators, for the Leadership for Life Programme.

To date, our graduate programme has placed 8 early career professionals in Foróige for 12-month paid placements, overseeing their external mentoring and learning and development needs for the duration of their contracts.

foroige

The Action

We managed the recruitment process from end-to-end, working with Foróige’s hiring manager to develop a clearly defined role. We ensured the duties and responsibilities were appropriate to the graduate’s skillset, and internal supports were available.

We advertised the role across our wide network to attract candidates specifically seeking opportunities in the nonprofit sector. We tracked applications and assessed candidates’ suitability to ensure they review and meet with the best available applicants once screening was completed.

Once in place, Foróige’s successful candidates became part of our 12-month learning and development programme. They were paired with an experienced professional working in the nonprofit sector as their mentor, and also attended monthly learning seminars.

Bryan Gavin, Training Learning and Development Manager in Foróige said “It was really successful, and it is really positive that they are still working in the organisation. It was great to have the external supports for them and that they had a suite of opportunities.”

The Result

Like most organisations, in Foróige, Human Resources plays a crucial role in supporting the staff members who are directly involved in delivering programmes and services to young people, ultimately contributing to the success and sustainability of Foróige’s mission.

Since 2021, the HR team has doubled. The Graduate Assistants placed through the For Purpose programme have supported their HR Team, creating a positive and inclusive environment for all 550 employees allowing young people to thrive and reach their full potential.

On successful completion of the programme, Ciara Roddy, moved into a new role within Foróige’s HR function, “This is a new challenge that I wouldn’t have wanted to do before the programme, but with the support I received with For Purpose,  I am keen to explore other areas beyond just recruitment, and continue a career in HR”.

Leadership for Life Conference

Gavin Murphy also joined the programme as a Programme Coordinator for the Foróige Leadership for Life programme in 2022. During this time, Gavin managed the registration and accreditation process as well as the annual conference. He also had the opportunity to get involved in other projects outside his role, and, on successful completion of the programme, was promoted to Strategic Plan Development Officer where he worked alongside the Director of Support Services to develop Foróige’s new strategic plan.

For Purpose was then asked to backfill this role and provide Caren Binchy with support to begin her career in the nonprofit sector. Both Gavin and Caren have progressed within the organisation. Gavin is now in the process of implementing the new strategy and regularly supports the board, while Caren is continuing in her work on the Leadership for Life Programme.

Leadership for Life Programme

Interested in developing your graduate team?

If you are interested in learning more about how the addition of an early career professional can add significantly to your organisational capability, and to learn how the For Purpose programme can work for you, contact Fergal O’Sullivan, Director of Talent Management Services at 086 180 6051, or visit www.forpurpose.ie.

Dublin

2into3
Huckletree in The Academy,
42 Pearse St,
Dublin 2,
D02 YX88.

Ph: 01 574 0022

Belfast

2into3
Ormeau Baths,
18 Ormeau Ave,
Belfast
BT2 8HS

Ph: (44) 28 9592 1558

Cork

2into3
Republic of Work
12 South Mall
Cork
T12 RD43

Ph: 021 237 9882

Galway

2into3
Portershed
Eyre Square
Galway
H91 HY51

Ph: 091 413 390

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