Modern Slavery Statement

28th March 2022

Modern Slavery Act 2015

Introduction from the Chief Financial Officer

Vocation Group Limited (“Vocation”) is committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships. Modern Slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. We are fully committed to playing our part in eradicating modern slavery by ensuring that slavery, trafficking, child labour, bonded labour, and forced labour does not take place within our business or any part of our supply chain.

As Chief Financial Officer the responsibility for this policy falls under my remit.

Our Business

Vocation is a Group of businesses under the parent company Vocation Group Limited, headquartered in Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. At the core of our business is our Brewery where we develop and supplying beer to customers of all sizes and direct to consumers. We also own and operate Vocation and Co. taprooms across the North of England. The Group has 114 employees and operates solely in the United Kingdom.

Our Supply Chains

We source as much as possible locally, and the products for use in our manufacturing processes are predominately from the UK, EU and USA. Occasionally we source equipment or merchandise from further afield and therefore will be taking steps to ensure that we are able to identify products and countries that represent a high risk of modern slavery and built awareness of these risks within our team.

Relationships with our suppliers are important to us, we do our best to maintain a limited number of suppliers for many reasons, which largely makes it possible to understand their processes and ways of working, making the implementation of this policy achievable.

Our Commitment

Vocation has a zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking. Internally we ensure our people receive fair pay and good working conditions, people are at the heart of our business, from the design and brewing of our beers to the hosting and serving at our bars and we will continue to make them our focus.

Additionally in 2022-2023 Vocation will implement the following initiatives:

 

1. We will develop a risk matrix for our supply chain to identify and assess potential risk areas
2. Implement our due diligence process with all current and any new suppliers onboarded
3. Implement a rolling, company-wide training program to support all of our people-focused policies and initiatives
4. Develop KPIs to measure the effectiveness of the steps we’ve taken in the year

Due Diligence Processes

In addition to the development of a risk matrix, identifying and assessing potential risk areas in our supply chain, to ensure all those in our supply chain comply with our ethics we will ask all suppliers to assess their own business and supply chain and declare to us that they are committed to ensuring that there is no slavery, trafficking, bonded labour, child labour or forced labour within their business or supply chain.

We will do this retrospectively with all current suppliers and this will form part of our new supplier approval process going forward. If you are our supplier and do not give this declaration, or we believe you may be in breach of this declaration, we may terminate our contracts and working relationship, report you to the appropriate authorities and pursue any legal remedies available to us against you.

Training

To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, in 2022-2023 we will provide employee training to all staff relating to modern slavery as well as reiterating the importance of our other policies relating to anti-bribery, bullying and harassment, whistleblowing, equality and diversity as well as our grievance procedure.

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our Group's slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending March 2023.

It was approved by the board on 28 March 2022.

Jaclyn Birch
Group CFO
Vocation Group Limited

Date: 28th March 2022