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Arthur Guinness Fund Award


Guinness Backs Emerging Social Entrepreneurship

Over €100,000 invested in Speedpak to level the employment playing field.

Guinness invested in Ireland's future by backing people with “a business head and a social heart” and Speedpak's Workplace Accreditation Model (WAM) was officially announced as one of the ten Arthur Guinness Fund awardees 2010 at a special awards ceremony, which was held in Guinness Storehouse.

The Speedpak Workplace Accreditation Model (WAM) addresses the problem of Long Term unemployment by addressing a key barrier to workplace progression for those who are long term unemployed - a lack of formal education.

The WAM provides real commercial work experience focusing on:

  • positive work behaviours
  • accredited group and individual training courses
  • specialist one to one support

The WAM approach is centred on capturing current workplace learning, which can be converted to a recognised educational qualification in the form of a full FETAC Award.

John P Murphy CEO of Speedpak commented:

In providing formal education opportunities through the workplace for those that have low educational attainment, WAM can help level the playing field and in so doing, will play an important role in creating a more just society.

With funding from the Arthur Guinness Fund, we are aiming to drive the development of this model throughout Ireland".

About The Arthur Guinness Fund

The Arthur Guinness Fund is an innovative investment vehicle set up to further the legacy of Arthur Guinness and support social entrepreneurs around the world.

In April 2010, the Arthur Guinness Fund distributed €1 million amongst ten social entrepreneurs from across Ireland. The 2010 Arthur Guinness Fund Awardees cover a diverse range of interests, each making a significant difference to local communities, primarily in Ireland and also abroad.

One of the most progressive aspects of the Arthur Guinness Fund is that it is not only about providing a financial commitment to the emerging social entrepreneurship sector in Ireland; the Awardees also benefit from access to practical support and expertise through Diageo Ireland support and Social Entrepreneurs Ireland's alumni network.

The Arthur Guinness Fund is designed as a springboard to enable social entrepreneurs to take their initiatives to the next level, and further expand their vision for making a real difference to the people around them.