Blind In Business Holds Project VIP Day on June 9th to Send Visually Impaired Women Off to Job Interviews Looking & Feeling Stunning

Participants at this Acumen Solutions Sponsored Event Receive Mentoring & a Makeover Complements of Top London Salon, Aveda, & Dress for Success London

London, UK — June 2, 2010 – Blind In Business announced today that it will hold its Project VIP Day: The Stepping Stone to Success on June 9th to provide makeovers from top London salon, Aveda, and new business attire from London’s Dress for Success to blind or visually impaired women to give them that extra confidence boost as they go out on job interviews. These women will also receive interview preparation and tips during the day from other inspiring women. This annual Project VIP day, sponsored by Acumen Solutions UK Ltd, is a unique event that gives Visually Impaired People a life changing experience.

GMTV’s Lorraine Kelly supports Project VIP: “Women in business are generally judged by their appearance, and first impressions count. This event is doing a fundamentally important job in providing the blind and partially sighted women amongst us with suitable smart clothing and all of the confidence that goes with that. Project VIP will help these women have an equal chance in the tough job market we all face today.”

Jemma Savillewood, a 2009 Project VIP participant, said of her experience: “Project VIP was a really friendly, confidence boosting day with some really fantastic people. I've never been to such a positive and motivating event and I would recommend it to anyone. Just a couple of months later I felt really confident in my interview for a Post-graduate Certificate in Education course, and I'm now really ready to start my new job as a teacher in September. I hope this year's lucky participants enjoy it and get as much out of it as we all did!"

The longer people remain unemployed, the lower their confidence becomes and the harder it is for them to re-enter the workplace – a catch 22. Given the current economic climate it is more important than ever that we give visually impaired women the tools and confidence they need to successfully compete for jobs. Once the women secure jobs and progress in their careers they are able to inspire other visually impaired job-seekers in the future.

Patsy Neal, Corporate Care Specialist at Acumen Solutions UK Ltd says: “Acumen Solutions is proud to have been involved with this project since its inception. Social responsibility is integral to our philosophy, spirit and culture. Project VIP is a fantastic event for us to commit our time and resources to because confidence enables success. In this way we are helping to invest in the future.”

Blind or visually impaired women with an upcoming interview are invited to participate in this event. They will be styled by professional stylists and will be given a new interview outfit from Dress for Success that will be theirs to keep. They will be pampered by Aveda hair and make-up professionals who will give them a crash course in interview presentation. This day has a commercial value of over £1200 but is free to students.

Interested parties can find out more information on Project VIP by contacting Rebecca Kinahan at Blind in Business (rk@blindinbusiness.org.uk / 020 7588 1885) or Patsy Neal at Acumen Solutions UK (pneal@acumensolutions.com).

 

About Blind in Business

Blind in Business is a registered charity number 1011957. Est. 1992 to help blind people (predominantly graduates) to compete equally with sighted candidates for good jobs. Blind in Business has helped over 650 graduates into employment, trained over 6000 school children and runs a comprehensive employment service for blind school leavers. Full information is available on the Blind in Business website: http://www.blindinbusiness.co.uk/

About Dress for Success London

Dress for Success London, founded in February 2000, promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a support network and the career development tools to help women succeed in work and life. Clients are referred to Dress for Success London from our partner organisations, such as job centres’, job training programmes, prisons and homeless shelters. We do not take self referrals. Dress for Success London offers one to one CV skills, mock interview sessions, a variety of workshops and a mentoring programme. Dress for Success London is a licensee of Dress for Success Worldwide. An independent UK registered charity, Dress for Success London receives no financial contribution from Dress for Success Worldwide.

About Acumen Solutions UK Ltd
Acumen Solutions UK Ltd is a leading management and technology consulting firm that helps Global 1000 and government agencies solve their complex business and technology problems on a daily basis. By offering innovative business process solutions, strategy and technology know-how, our experts provide organizations with measurable results. We are recognized leaders in helping our clients weave cloud computing strategy and integration into the fabric of their existing enterprise architecture. Our social responsibility commitment enables our employees to become leaders in our communities. Acumen Solutions has developed flexible ways to facilitate their employees’ support of non-profits including Employee Service Days, utilizing consultants for pro bono skills-based projects, placing senior executives on charity boards, and holding charity road races. Acumen Solutions, founded in 1999, is located at Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London SE1 9BB, with corporate headquarters in Washington DC and offices across the United States.