Clasado rallies to ‘Bridge the Gap’ with Working Options initiative

Clasado Biosciences (‘Clasado’), a global leader in the development of clinically proven prebiotic ingredient and product solutions for the human gut microbiome, has announced its involvement in ‘Bridge the Gap’, a fundraising initiative developed by education charity organisation Working Options.

The Bridge the Gap initiative sees businesses take on physical challenges to raise funding for Working Options, which provides free employability and life skills programmes to colleges and schools. Programmes involve skills workshops, access to industry events, work experience and placements, designed to help young people reach their full potential.

In the spirit of bridging the gap, the Clasado team has committed to collectively cover 4655 miles; the distance between the company’s Reading, UK headquarters and the North American base of its US Sales Director Denver, Colorado. Distance can be covered by walking, cycling, jogging or set periods of exercise, with the whole team getting involved.

Sharon McKean, Operations & Human Resources Director at Clasado, commented: “We’re delighted to be taking on this challenge! Our team is motivated to make a real difference, and that doesn’t start and end on the commercial side – it includes the world around us too. Encouraging young people into food, health and nutrition careers is essential to keep the industry moving forward, and organisations such as Working Options are helping to support them on the early stages of their careers. 

“The symbolic distance of 4655 miles between our UK headquarters and North American base of our US Sales Director is a great metaphor for what we’re hoping to achieve; bringing people together and closing the skills gap for future industry workforce.”

The challenge begins in September, with the Clasado team having just twelve weeks to cover the full distance before the deadline in December. The Clasado team will be providing updates to their social media followers, highlighting landmark distances along the way. 

Per Rehné, CEO at Clasado, added: “Working Options has so far engaged with more than 20,000 young people in schools, colleges and online platforms across the UK. Their work has resulted in 88% of participating students feeling more secure and confident about their future – and that’s the heart of what this initiative is about. 

As a leader in the field of gut microbiome science, consistently growing in reach across the globe, we understand our responsibilities to the next generation of food scientists, product technicians and dietitians, amongst others. It’s an honour to support Working Options, and our team is driven to succeed. We want to make a difference, and this is just one way we can achieve this.” Click here to visit the Bridge the Gap fundraising page for Clasado, or to find out more about the challenge.