Leading employment and training organisation, Working Links, has urged employers not to miss out on the “wealth of talent and commitment” to be found among the thousands of people in Wales who are looking to get back into the workplace.
Working Links director for Wales, Marcella Maxwell, said: ” There is a huge pool of readily available talent among the long-term unemployed in Wales and it is important that employers consider candidates who don’t currently have a job. Working Links has operated for ten years in Wales and in that time we have helped over 17,000 people to move from joblessness to stable employment. Key to our success has been meeting the needs of employers by providing skilled and able people who meet their workforce requirements.”
Working Links was appointed by the UK Government in October 2009 to deliver the Flexible New Deal (FND) scheme across the south Wales valleys and south west Wales. The Department for Work and Pensions programme sees people who have been unemployed for more than twelve months being given additional help to find jobs through a package of training, confidence building, work placements and follow-up support in the workplace.
Through FND, Working Links helps employers find enthusiastic, experienced and skilled employees, often providing specific training for job candidates even before they are interviewed. This free service gives employers the confidence that they are hiring staff who have the skills and capability they need to do the job.
That proactive approach is helping thousands of people back to work. Gavin Ellsmore, 29 from Morriston, had been looking for work for more than 18 months when he was referred to Working Links in October 2009. Previously an electrical fitter, Mr Ellsmore was getting frustrated at not being able to find work in his chosen field. He said: “It has been difficult finding a job and the longer you are out of work, the harder it seems to get. It made a real difference to have the one-to-one support through Flexible New Deal.
“I was really pleased when my Working Links consultant, Rebecca Jenkins, started working with me to find out why I was having difficulty finding a new job. She looked at the skills and experience I had and then suggested improvements to the way I had written my CV. She found a role for me working in a customer support contact centre and I was over the moon.”
Mr Ellsmore was one of seven Working Links customers who were shortlisted for fixed contract roles at a Swansea-based contact centre run by Manpower, which manages more than 1,000 staff at the site. Working Links consultant, Rebecca Jenkins, said: “Gavin achieved one of the highest scores ever at the assessment and selection day for the contact centre roles. They were so impressed with him that he was given a more senior, full-time role as an IT Helpdesk engineer and he is clearly very happy.”
As part of the package of support Mr Ellsmore received from Working Links under the Flexible New Deal scheme, he has also been helped with funding for a mountain bike for commuting to work and an advance against his first salary.
Working Links has placed a further 15 people at the Swansea contact centre and is currently exploring other ways to support Manpower with its recruitment needs in the future, both in Swansea and elsewhere. Through the FND scheme, Working Links regularly helps employers by providing bespoke training packages called Routeways. This free service gives employers confidence that they are hiring staff who already know about the company and have the skills and capability needed for the role, making them ‘Job Ready’. Routeways also means that unsuccessful candidates gain new skills to help them with their job search.
Ms Jenkins said: “We endeavor to understand the needs of all the employers with whom we work. That way, we can help them make the most of the wealth of talent and commitment that is available from our customers and, in turn, help their business to flourish.”
Employers looking to recruit staff can access free support through Working Links. To find out more call The Employer Solutions Team on 01792 478860 or log onto www.workinglinks.co.uk.
