Swapping Skills | Nomura employees get a lesson at the crease from Chance to Shine Street youngsters

By Briony Everest

Chance to Shine participants joined Nomura's HR employees at The Kia Oval last Thursday (18 February) for an all day Street cricket workshop. The two groups came together to swap skills and experiences both in the meeting room and on the cricket pitch. The workshop also gave the Nomura employees an opportunity to engage with the participants that their company is supporting, through the Nomura Charitable Trust.

The event included both cricket activity and career development workshops, with a girls-only session in the morning. Nomura employees designed and led the career workshops, allowing them to share their experience and expertise with participants; from writing CVs to preparing for job or university interviews. Highlights of the workshop included showing the Chance to Shine participants how they can use cricket as a fantastic example of teamwork, motivational qualities, overcoming obstacles and much more when completing application forms and attending interviews.

And the skill swapping didn't stop there! The Chance to Shine participants quickly displayed their talent in a game of street cricket, giving the Nomura employees a chance to experience a different version of the game while guiding the employees with advice and tips on gaining victory.

Speaking about the day, Nomura employee Sarah Field said that she had never done a cricket event before and that she thought it was a good idea to implement both cricket and HR skills side by side.' Anna also commented on the importance of female role models for the young girls and not just in a professional environment. Nomura colleague, Claire Cumming, commented on how refreshing it was to get out and interact with the community.

Chance to Shine Redbridge cricket coach Saba Nassim reviewed the day, saying, The girls had a great day playing cricket at The Oval along with attending the CV and interview workshops held by Nomura. These were really informative and will hopefully guide these young girls when they apply for jobs in the future.

Fellow cricket coach, Hannah Newman added, The girls have had a fantastic day with Noruma. The workshops the Nomura delivered really got the girls engaged, and encouraged them to think about their future careers. It was great to see the Nomura reps get involved with the cricket and give the girls an opportunity to use their coaching skills! 

When asked what they had learnt from the day, all Nomura employees agreed that teamwork is very important, with Sarah joking, even if you are on the losing side!

Chance to Shine Street was launched in 2008 in order to widen the reach that cricket, and its benefits, has in inner city areas. It uses the game to promote social cohesion and create opportunities in diverse communities by implementing the importance of teamwork and striving to reduce the levels of anti social behaviour and youth crime.