CAN Mezzanine Case Study 

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If anyone knows how CAN Mezzanine has evolved it's Employability Forum. The independent charity, working to promote the employment of refugees and the integration of migrant workers in the UK, first shared space with CAN back in 2001 in Waterloo.

They stayed with CAN when we moved into CAN Mezzanine London Bridge when it opened in 2004. They have seen the business model develop, the quality improve and the community expand.

The initial draw to sharing space with CAN was being able to work in close proximity to Think-Tanks such as Foreign Policy Centre." said Beryl Randall, Programme Director for Employability Forum. "Good networks have been a key part to building our business, so the open plan office environment here has been very beneficial for us."

CAN Mezzanine customers can search for each other by wandering around the building as Beryl has done or by making use of the exclusive online customer directory or by attending the monthly breakfasts. "In our four years here at London Bridge we have taken advantage of having so many third sector organisations in the building," says Beryl "and have collaborated with several organisations such as TimeBank and Sedex, but in particular, one of CAN's first customers, Foreign Policy Centre. They helped us with an event which led to a major change in the support policy for refugees and resulted in TimeBank being in a position to run the major national mentoring programme for refugees, run in 24 locations across the country and with a budget of over £1m."

Overall, the length of time Employability Forum has stayed with CAN is testament to the concept of shared office space. "There are issues with sharing space", warns Beryl. "If you're not prepared for that, you might get frustrated, but if are looking for affordable space with like minded organisations, then I would recommend CAN Mezzanine, particularly those charities who feel can benefit by networking"

For more information on Employability Forum and the excellent work they are doing in getting skilled refugees into the labour market, visit www.employabilityforum.co.uk