For years, SocialBox.Biz has partnered with the Hotel School in Westminster City to address this challenge by providing high-quality, repurposed corporate laptops. This is part of SocialBox.Biz’s “Secure Reuse Before IT Disposal” program, which diverts still-usable IT equipment from being scrapped and transforms it into a powerful tool for social good. Graduates from the Passage Hotel School initiative that gets people experiencing homelessness into jobs with top hotels in Westminster and central London.
Below is a story about upcoming graduation and how SocialBox.Biz laptops are helping once again transform lives this autumn, winter and into 2026. Case studies are being added as they are received below.
According to the team from Hotel School;
The laptops donated by SocialBox.Biz will play an important role in helping our students rebuild their lives and careers in hospitality. Many of our students do not have their own device, which can limit their ability to complete essential training, write CVs and apply for jobs.
With access to these laptops, students will be able to take part in CV workshops, apply for roles online and work towards key qualifications such as the Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate. For those without a laptop at home, borrowing a device will give them the chance to practise their digital skills and complete training that directly supports their move into employment.
Graduates will also benefit from this support, as some will be given a laptop to keep when they finish the programme. This will help them complete online onboarding and workplace training, which are now standard requirements in hospitality roles. Graduates will also be able to return to Hotel School to use the laptops for further training and development, ensuring they continue to build their digital confidence.
These laptops will remove barriers, support our students’ progress into work and give them the tools they need to succeed in today’s workplace.
A Sustainable Partnership for Tech Inclusion
For years, SocialBox.Biz has partnered with the Passage and Hotel School to address this challenge by providing high-quality, repurposed corporate laptops as a core part of SocialBox.Biz’s “Secure Reuse Before IT Disposal” program, which diverts still-usable IT equipment from being scrapped and transforms it into a powerful tool for social good.
How it works:
- Secure Data Removal: SocialBox.Biz collects laptops donated by businesses, ensuring all sensitive data is permanently and securely removed.
- Reuse and Upgrade: The devices are then usually upgraded with open-source software, giving them a new lease on life.
- Community Redistribution: Reused laptops are delivered to the Hotel School to be used in workshops, and crucially, to be given to graduates as their own device to keep.
The Impact: Equipping Graduates for Lasting Success
The program’s impact extends far beyond the classroom, providing Hotel School students with the digital skills and resources they need for long-term career success.
- In-Program Support: With access to shared and loaner laptops, students can participate fully in CV workshops, online training, and job search activities.
- Empowering Graduates: The graduates who receive a laptop to keep gain an invaluable tool for their new careers. It enables them to complete online onboarding and workplace training—requirements that have become standard in the hospitality industry.
- Building Confidence and Skills: Having a personal device empowers graduates to practice their digital skills, stay connected, and pursue further training, fostering confidence and independence.
- Sustaining Support: Graduates can also return to the Hotel School to continue using the laptops for ongoing development, ensuring their computer use confidence continues to grow.
A Story of Transformation
This shows how responsible corporate IT reuse before IT disposal by SocialBox.Biz can directly and measurably transform lives. By choosing reuse first, businesses not only fulfill their environmental responsibilities but also become a crucial part of a success story like the one captured in The Times article about the Hotel School. As a graduation class prepares for its future in September 2025, SocialBox.Biz laptops are once again helping students overcome barriers and gain the tools they need to rebuild their lives and careers.
Join and Reuse first with SocialBox.Biz
This case study is a testament to the power of a simple idea: that a company’s old tech can become someone’s new opportunity. It highlights the tangible social impact delivered by SocialBox.Biz’s secure reuse service. We invite more businesses to join us by calling SocialBox.Biz first—before scrapping old IT equipment—and help us continue to transform lives.
Story about Hotel School from the Times newspaper
More about our long-stating collaboration with the Passage
https://www.socialbox.biz/about-us/awards/
10th November 2025 update: Impact on People
In what simple ways will these SocialBox.Biz laptops change daily life for a disadvantaged person?
Having a laptop allows our students and graduates to apply for jobs, complete training and stay connected with support networks. Students have used them to work on CVs, practise digital skills, complete food hygiene training and carry out job searches.
When graduates move into employment, many are required to complete online training as part of their onboarding. We are able to support them by either donating a laptop for personal use or offering access to laptops on-site so they can complete this training with our help if needed.
Donating laptops makes a real difference. It helps people build the skills needed for work and provides a simple, sustainable way for companies to give back.
Can you share a story of how a SocialBox.Biz laptop has helped someone?
One of our recent graduates had been relying on her phone to apply for jobs. Since receiving a SocialBox.Biz laptop, she has been able to update her CV, complete online courses and take part in video interviews. She has now secured a full-time role in hospitality.
During a recent CV session, one student with very limited digital skills had never created a CV before and felt very nervous at the start. With support from staff, they used one of the SocialBox.Biz laptops to start building their CV, working at their own pace and gaining confidence as they went. Later in the day, they continued the session with a volunteer and were able to complete their CV by the end of the afternoon. They were visibly proud of what they had achieved and said it was the first time they had felt confident using a laptop.
What kind of training do you provide for someone who has never used a computer?
We integrate digital confidence and skills into our training programme, covering essential IT skills, email use and online job applications. Students also use the laptops during CV sessions with our volunteer coaches, where they learn to write and update their CVs and practise applying for jobs online. We would not be able to run these sessions effectively without the laptops. Where needed, we also provide one-to-one support so that everyone can build their confidence and learn at their own pace.
Looking Ahead
How can other businesses get involved and help SocialBox.Biz?
Businesses can donate their old computers securely through SocialBox.Biz. It is a straightforward and sustainable way to make a real local impact, supporting people into work while preventing electronic waste by reusing still usable items.
What has been the most positive feedback you have received so far?
Students often tell us that having their own laptop makes them “feel independent again”. It is something many of us take for granted, but for our graduates it represents opportunity, connection and self-belief.
Collaboration
Access to technology is a key part of what helps our students succeed at the Hotel School. Many arrive with little or no access to a personal computer, which can make training, job searches and online learning difficult. Through the laptops provided by SocialBox.Biz, our students can build digital confidence, complete essential training and prepare for employment with greater independence.
This support has also allowed us to extend digital access beyond the classroom, with graduates able to continue using laptops to complete online training for new roles.
We are keen to help raise awareness locally so that other Westminster-based companies know they can securely reuse their old computers through SocialBox.Biz. It is a simple and practical way for organisations to support inclusion, sustainability and skills development.
Join the Movement: Make a lasting impact by making SocialBox.Biz part of your ongoing sustainability strategy.
Tailor made Impact plans provide the service for donating laptops to specific projects even if you have no access to items at this time we can still increase social impact for your company. They can also include marketing support – press releases, case studies, pictures, videos for annual reports, impact reports, company website…. https://www.socialbox.biz/corporate-impact/
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