Inspire and share

2030 Goals: Schools programme, giving 1% of resources & profit

KEY MILESTONES

Delivered Y1 of schools programme

Community engagement programme established

School leaver apprenticeships launched across range of subjects

50% of employees using volunteer days

This goal is all about giving back and sharing our skills and expertise for greater impact.

It could be helping to solve sustainable tourism issues, upskilling a charity partner to develop knowledge and improve results or inspiring the next generation about the world of work.

We also recognise that all of us have charities and causes that are important to us, so we want to make sure our team have an opportunity to support them.

Partnering with local schools

We partner with the Careers & Enterprise Network to connect with schools and support their career development strategies to prepare young people for the world of work. This can include careers fairs, mock interview sessions, visits to our campus and sessions on roles and skills.

Seeing an opportunity to have greater impact by really inspiring and engaging students, we're now working with a local comprehensive school to deliver a full careers programme from Year 7 to Year 13, ultimately resulting in apprenticeship opportunities.

And as part of our work with schools and young people we also offer work experience and this year we hosted 10 students from 6 different local schools, who joined various teams across the buisness. We recognise the quality of the experience can vary hugely and so we've been working hard this year to develop a programme that's hands on, engaging and inspiring for each student's needs.

Apprenticeships

At the moment we offer Level 4 apprenticeship programmes for people looking to move into software development. Previously these were only offered to internal applicants however, in 2022 we launched our first external apprenticeship opportunity to become a Software Engineer. And this year, we launched our first school leaver apprenticeship program and look forward to welcoming our first cohort to our Tech & Product Team in Summer 2024!

We're also exploring apprenticeships across other roles in the business.

HX Volunteering Programme

As an organisation we've always supported the local community with volunteering, but on an ad hoc basis. To increase the hours given, but also increase the positive impact we can have, we're looking to establish an internal volunteering programme. We hope to be able to provide more information on this soon… watch this space!

Sponsorships and Charity Donations

Each year we allocate a budget to be used to support local charities and causes. We get requests directly from external organisations, but our team can also send in requests.

Our aim is to support those organisations aligned to our own purpose and strategy, balanced with supporting causes that are important to our people.

We aim to improve and develop how we allocate and drive funds as well as increasing contributions from Holiday Extras.

See what we've been up to

Sponsored Skate Programme with F51 Folkestone

Last year, Holiday Extras proudly continued its partnership with The Sports Trust and Folkestone's F51 Skate Park, marking the third year of the skateboard design competition for local children.

This initiative not only offers creative learning opportunities and fun but also reinforces our commitment to community engagement and support. We're proud to enable local kids to showcase their creativity, further highlighting our dedication to enriching community experiences and fostering young talents.

Find out more

The Evie Dove Foundation

A charity close to our heart.

The foundation helps sick children and save young lives by sponsoring the education and training of talented and passionate paediatric medical professionals. Who, with help and financial support, will develop their skills and expertise to provide cutting edge medical and pastoral care when children and their families need it most.

To date we've raised almost £2k for this charity and continue to look for new and creative ways to raise money and awareness for this incredible cause.

The Evie Dove Foundation

Kings College Hospital Charity

Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation is dedicated to life-changing care, providing specialist and local health services to over one million people in South-East London and Kent, as well as critical care. Together Holiday Extras has raised over £60k for this important charity through pub quizzes, comedy nights, sponsored walks and even a Custard Election where the team voted for who would receive a custard pie to the face!

HX Gives Back

HX GIves back is a community group at HX who focus on giving back to the local community throughout the year. They run a very successful giving tree at Christmas to provide presents to the women refuges in the local area, alongside food bank drives and volunteering at local community groups. Currently the group are working with the Refuge to donate car packs to help any new arrivals start off with some basic items. They are also arranging a biscuit drive, to donate a large hamper of biscuits to the local Pilgrims Hospice in Ashford.