| Description | International Personnel was set up in the summer of 1970 as the employment agency of the Martin Luther King Foundation, primarily to assist black young people in securing employment opportunities which enhanced their talents and potential. According to a newsletter issued by the Martin Luther King Fund in 1974, "the history of International Personnel was one of struggle and frustration… It started on a shoe-string budget of £2,000 in a small, cramped office".
After two years it expanded with larger premises and four staff in Balham, and with new branches in Shepherds Bush and Liverpool. The two newer offices later closed, and in May 1973 the work of the agency in Balham developed into a training scheme to help young people in the community acquire basic education and commercial skills. The Martin Luther King Fund was itself launched by Christian Action, which continued to provide assistance to it.
The records were presented by Brian Jones, who was general manager of International Personnel and also manager of the Shepherds Bush branch until late 1973 |