PRESS RELEASE: Atlantic Projects Company furthers diversity drive with new athlete program powered by specialist firm, FutureProof

With diversity and inclusion a core business objective, Atlantic Projects Company has expanded its equality and inclusivity programme to create a more diverse working environment with a new initiative targeting ex-professional athletes.

Seeking to expand the diversity of thought through the organisation, Atlantic Projects Company has set up a graduate-style scheme specifically for ex-athletes looking to make the challenging transition out of sport.

The new programme encourages ex-athletes into the engineering industry and to try their hand at a broad swathe of roles at the company. The expectation is that this subset of the population comes from a broad range of backgrounds with unique skills and will spark new ideas and creativity at Atlantic Projects Company.

Recognising that many will have little to no business, engineering or management experience, Atlantic Projects Company is investing time and resources into a talent pool that it feels is full of potential while merely lacking in the necessary experience.

“Athletes have a ‘win at all costs’ mentality and a self-belief that extends beyond the sporting arena and permeates many aspects of their lives. Their total commitment to a cause, relentless drive to be better than they were yesterday and propensity for teamwork makes them an incredibly desirable asset in the workplace. You can train skills, but that innate desire to come out on top is a rare quality.”
Yvonne Day, Corporate HR Director, Atlantic Projects

Working with FutureProof, an organisation dedicated to connecting athletes with their future careers, Atlantic Projects Company has already welcomed an athlete – a Paralympian – into the scheme. Ian Marsden, a paralympic canoeist, has begun work as a Trainee Health and Safety Advisor at Atlantic Projects Company.

“FutureProof has worked with athletes and sportspeople from across the UK and across a breadth of sports. What we’ve found is that they all want to find something to dedicate themselves to, learn lifelong skills and add value to whatever team or organisation they join. Our work with Atlantic Projects Company spans profiling candidates, offering professional development, mentorship and finding the very best candidates for the roles available.”
Liz Crooke, Partner, FutureProof

“To say I was concerned about what to do after my competing days were over is an understatement. Atlantic Project Company’s scheme has given me a new lease of life, helping me find something that I enjoy and can build a career around. Engineering is a fascinating sector with a wide range of opportunities to explore, there’s bound to be something you can get stuck into.”
Ian Marsden Paralympic Canoeist & Trainee Health & Safety Advisor, Atlantic Projects Company

In its huge State of Sport report in 2018, the BBC found more than half of professional sportspeople have concerns over their mental health or emotional wellbeing since retiring. With a career dedicated to the sports field or athletics track and a retirement age of around 30, there’s a growing talent pool of highly motivated and dedicated individuals falling between the cracks and searching for opportunities.

Atlantic Projects Company has ambitious growth plans and critical to them is the hiring of a motivated and diverse workforce. A diverse place to work, with employees from a variety of backgrounds, is a known contributor to growth through cognitive diversity and access to new and exciting ideas.

“As a sector, engineering is always looking for new and exciting talent. It is our firm belief that in that quest, Atlantic Projects should be as broad-minded as possible to bring in and attract a wide range of personalities and identities. Ex-Athletes represent a unique and relatively under-represented talent pool and our belief is that this new initiative will help provide them entry into a new career while simultaneously assisting in our overall business development.”
Yvonne Day, Corporate HR Director, Atlantic Projects Company

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Want to find out more?

You can watch a presentation given by Atlantic Projects Company, in combination with FutureProof, detailing the program and the opportunity in our talks section.

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