Princes partner with Bright Future to provide employment opportunities to modern slavery victims

International food and drink group Princes has announced it is partnering with Bright Future, an employment programme that provides victims of modern slavery with a pathway to paid employment and reintegration into society.

The terms of the scheme, developed by the Co-op with charity City Hearts, will see Princes work with a nationwide network of local victim support charities to identify suitable applicants for employment. These candidates will be offered a four-week paid work placement leading to a non-competitive interview. If both elements are successful, the candidate will be offered a permanent job within the business.

More than 60 vulnerable survivors have already been given a chance to rebuild their lives by the Co-op, and it is envisaged that up to 300 people will secure placements through the Bright Future programme next year.

Princes Group Human Resources Director, Joe Dent, said: “We firmly believe in respect and integrity throughout the supply chain and consider ourselves to be a strong voice on this in our sector. By partnering with the Bright Future Programme, we are further demonstrating our commitment to improve the lives of workers in the supply chain and help victims of slavery and injustice.

In 2018, Princes launched a similar work placement scheme at its Italian tomato operation on Foggia where six migrant recruits are now full time employees in production and three agronomy roles.