pathway Group News, Pathway Group Newsletter for June 2014. Updates about what is going on in the Pathway Group world. For more information or to download a copy please e-mail: info@pathwaygroup.co.uk or call: 0121 707 0550

1. June 2014
Newsletter
Pathway 2
Saving the
Environment
One of our top priorities for this year is working towards
improving environmental sustainability.
This month we have received a certificate of
environmental accomplishment from Shred-it.
We use their bins in the office to shred sensitive documents,
recycle paper and generally save the world and trees … the
results are out and we have saved nineteen trees from
destruction in 2013. Keep remembering to put your
unwanted paper in these bins so we can save even more
next year!
If anyone has any ideas of how we could contribute to
saving the environment more please speak to Safaraz.
HR Update: References
“On acceptance of our offer of employment Pathway will
seek references from two previous employers. Referees will
not be approached without obtaining staff members prior
permission. It is our Company policy that we do not issue
employees leaving Pathway Group with open references.
Any requests are handled by the HR Team, in consultation
with the relevant Line Manager.”
Welcome from Safaraz
Hello All,
It was great to spend time with all of you and our associates
at the staff AGM. The key message to get across on the day
was that this year has been challenging for us as a business,
as the market that we are in is constantly fluid and
changing however, thanks to the hard work and support of
all at “Team Pathway” we have continued to sustain
ourselves as a business and we are starting to see new
opportunities on the horizon.
We have had some notable successes recently, such as
having our ISO9001 Quality Standards Renewed for another
year passing our interim assessment for our Silver Investors
in People status. We have been successful in winning a
number of new contracts, some with old partners and some
with new organisations.
We discussed that this year following on from previously
we need to keep our focus on quality in tandem with the
business targets. If we are to maintain growth of this
nature it is crucial that we achieve our minimum contract
levels as quickly as possible and go on to reach the targets
that have been set for us across all contracts and in this
way we hope that this will lead to more success for us as
we focus on “moving forward together”.
Our current business objectives are that:
 We are seeking to maintain at a steady pace on our
Apprenticeship contract however with more focus
on larger employers and more targeted businesses.
 With regard to our Welfare to Work Contracts we
aim to grow this activity and also work smarter with
the rest of the business by integrating with all
aspects of the group, this will also demonstrate to
our funding partners that we can ensure sustainable
job outcomes and adhere to their new standards.
Continue to Page 2
Team Pathway at the AGM 2014 at Bia Lounge, Small Heath.

2. Pathway Group Updates
Pathway2Work Success
Work Programmes Pathway to Success for Five Individuals
We are happy to announce that the work programme has
successfully placed five people in employment with
SafetyNet Security Group. Mr David Bull of SafetyNet
Security Group contacted us to thank our staff for all their
help in selecting the Individuals who went forward for
interview
“It was a pleasure to meet you all and I was delighted with
the calibre of individuals that Mr William Shaw, the Head of
Business Development for Pathway Group selected for me to
interview. It goes a long way and bodes well for an individual
when you report on time for interview and make an effort to
dress smartly and appropriately for interview.” – David Bull
All of the Individuals selected will be working on a highly
prestigious ‘short-term’ 12 week contract in the centre of
Birmingham. SafetyNet Security Group, are supplying a
complete security solution to AMEY for this
project. Although this is short term contract Mr Bull has
expressed that if the candidates work well there is the
potential to move onto other contracts with the company or
provide recommendations where there is not a possibility to
keep on that person and keep their details for future
contracts.
Steve and Paul attended the Best Practices for Colleges
Training day for Smart Assessors
Steve Johnston and Paul Taylor attended the Best practices
for colleges for the Smart Assessor two weeks ago where
colleges experienced and non-using with SA shared their
experiences and issues. The day consisted of a brief
overview of SA, Q&A session, lunch! and networking.
Wolverhampton college have been on SA for about a year
now and the guest speaker from the college was very open
and positive about the flexibility in the system.
 In terms of our Pathway Progression Plus division
which presently delivers on the Advance
programme, the Programme of Study and
Traineeships. This is an area for considerable
growth. We are striving to have 33% of overall ac-
tivity in this division.
 The Advance Learning Loans scheme budget from
central government is set to grow year on year and
will play a major role in our offer to adult learners,
we all need to be aware and look for opportunities
to promote this where ever they present
themselves.
To summarise; not only do we need to ensure we meet
our service level agreements and targets with our
partners we also need to ensure that we are Audit and
OFSTED ready at all times.
This will depend more than ever both on team work and
individual contributions from all of us.
As I stated it’s the team together that makes us what we
are and enables us to move forward and as I always say:
‘If you have any suggestions and comments on any matter,
my door is always open for you to come and speak to me’.
Best wishes,
Safaraz Ali
It was generally well accepted by the learners from all
backgrounds and IT experience.
The expansion in the offline App and Smartphone use has
integrated well which has put the system ahead of other
systems. The system is accessible 24/7 with exception of
around 1% downtime for essential upgrades.
We are looking to expand our use over the next 6-8
months to involve more learners and assessors. SA will cut
down travel, be transparent, easily accessible, user friendly
and speedy.
Smart Assessor Training

3. Birthdays
We would like to say a massive Happy Birthday to the
following people! We hope you had/have great birthdays!
Sonia Iqbal: 13/05, Aqsa Akbar: 29/05 (21st
),
Raseela Parveen: 02/06, Umahma Akbar: 04/06
Neil Clenton: 09/06, Salim Ravat: 10/06
Jonathon Tyson: 15/06, Sophia Harley: 23/06 (21st
)
Ian Kirkham: 23/06, Nichole Walters: 28/06 (21st
)
Michelle Clarke: 03/07 (21st
), Mohammad Arif: 03/07
Zia Haq: 07/07, Shaheed Ladak: 08/07,
Lucy Clifford: 10/07, Hyacinth Shirley: 13/07
Irfan Ahmed: 20/07 (40th
), Baljit Purewal: 22/07 (40th
)
Keeley Shuttleworth: 22/07, Ahmed Umer: 24/07
Haleema Farid: 24/07, Shabir Siddiq: 25/07
Ryan Mills: 26/07, Lubna Parveen: 28/07
Pathway Family News
Pathway Family
We are pleased to announce a new arrival to the Pathway
family! Natalee Prior, one of our assessors has given birth to
a little girl Annabel Prior on the 07/06/14 at 11.03pm
weighing 7lbs. The family (Nat, Phil, Josh and Annabel)
would like to say thank you for the bear, flowers and
chocolates!
A Day in the
Life of a Learner
Recruitment
Officer
Asqa tells us what it is like being a Learner Recruitment
Officer
‘’As an Apprentice, I have developed into a learner
recruitment officer. I started off as an Administrator and
learnt key aspects of the business. I have learnt how to
upload vacancies, liaise with employers, screening
candidates for vacancies. I have been taking part in team
meetings to improve and monitor my performance.
Offering young people advice gives me a sense of
satisfaction as I was once in their situation and can
understand how important it is to recruit the right IAG
Support.
Thank you everyone for all the help/support throughout this
Journey. I look forward to continuing working and
progressing in my role.
New Starts
A big welcome to our new staff:
Summayyah Hussain: 22/04,
William Shaw: 22/04
Declan Batchelor: 23/04,
Umahma Akbar: 24/04
Amaar Baz: 05/05,
Raseela Parveen: 06/05
Michelle Clarke: 12/05,
Aisha Murad: 12/05
Rishi Singh: 27/05,
Roger Worton: 09/06
Wendy Stocking: 12/06

4. Newsletter Contributions
We are always on the lookout for new information and
stories about what is happening across Pathway Group and
its divisions and we love to hear your stories.
If you would like to make a contribution or have a story/
photos to share please contact: Natalie Graves or Barry
Knights.
We are also looking for volunteers to write a short piece
talking about their job, what you do, success stories etc.
Let us know if you are interested in doing this!
Pathway to Le Mans
Paul Haines and Paul Taylor made their annual trip as spectators
to Circuit Le Sarthe in Le Mans France for the 91st
24 hour race.
The race started on Saturday 14th
June 2014 at 3pm (2pm BST)
and finished Sunday 15th
June 2014 at 3pm (2pm BST).
This is the premier World Endurance Championship where up to
60 cars race in four groups.
Professional racing teams like Audi, Toyota and Porsche race
along with amateur teams in Aston Martins, Nissan and Ferrari’s.
Race for Life
Lousie Disdell ran in the Race for Life on Sunday 8th June.
If you haven’t yet, please consider sponsoring her! She is still
be taking donations.
Pathway to Life
In the last newsletter we mentioned that Jess was running in
the race for life. She completed the race and raised £167!
Jess says: “It was hard but it was rewarding to know we
raised money for such a good cause!” Thanks to everyone
who donated.
Paul and Paul have been attending since 1998 and as you can see in the pictures its serious fun with cars stickered up with
nicknames earned at previous Le Mans events. Paul Taylor said:“ There is no other race like it in the world where cars race at
over 220mph for 24 hours”.
Many of the drivers are household names like Mark Webber, Alex Wurz and Nicolas Prost.
The event is as much as an endurance race for the spectators as the drivers and Paul also said: “The atmosphere is awesome
and that’s what keeps us going”. For more information see www.lemansrace.com/le-mans-24-hours or Sky sports for the
whole 24 hour race. See how they got on next newsletter.
Pathway Family News
Stop Press Announcement
As of 19 June 2014, Birmingham Jobs Fund, under the
Young Talent for Business initiative, will only allow a
timeframe of 4 weeks to receive the ‘Starter Paperwork’*
from authorised bodies** from start of employment (for
Non-Apprentices) or start of Apprenticeship Training
Framework (for Apprentices).

5. AGM & Bowling
We held our AGM on the 29th
of May. We spent the
morning in the Bia Lounge in Small Health, Birmingham
reviewing the year past and discussing the year to come.
We had a number of outside contacts attend which was
encouraging and we are excited for the year to come.
In the afternoon we took some time out to go bowling as
an organisation. Well done and thank you to everyone who
turned up for making it a really nice afternoon.
Pathway Family News
The top three teams were...
1st
The Entrepreneur’s
2nd
Twinkle Toes
3rd
Corporate Punishment
Thank you to everyone who took part in the AGM and we
look forward to seeing you at the next one.
Results
After totting up the scores the results are in!
 The Fuddy Duddys vs. The Entrepreneur’s
Winner: The Entrepreneur’s
 Corporate Punishment vs. Pinky and the Brains
Winner: Corporate Punishment
 The Whizz Kids vs. Thunderballs
Winner: Thunderballs
 Pin Pushers vs. Fast & Furious 4
Winner: Fast & Furious 4
 Bee’s Knees vs. P³
Winner: Bee’s Knees
 Twinkle Toes vs. Butter Fingers
Winner: Twinkle Toes
 Jobs Jobs Jobs vs. The Incredibles
Winner: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
 Toni’s Hot Shots vs. Lucy’s Tooty Frooty’s
Winner: Toni’s Hot Shots

6. Strawberry Greek Yogurt Popsicles
Ingredients
 1 cup Strawberry Greek Yogurt
 1/3 cup Orange Juice
 1 TBSP Honey
Instructions
1. Simply combine strawberry Greek yogurt, orange
juice and honey in a small bowl or measuring cup.
2. Pour yogurt mixture into popsicle moulds and freeze
until solid.
Summer Activities
Ice-lolly bunting
Save your ice-lolly sticks to create this cute craft
with your kids. (or yourself!)
What you need:
 Ice lolly Sticks
 Ribbon
 Coloured/Patterned Paper
 Mini Pegs
Rope Coasters
 A roll of sisal/hemp/jute rope or any other kind you
prefer
 Scissors
 Hot glue gun and glue sticks or superglue
Start by gluing a circle of rope for the centre and then wrap
round the rest of the rope putting glue on the inside of each
loop so that they stick together.