A Lanarkshire recruiter has given its backing to a council-led employability partnership, which helps businesses find, train and recruit suitable candidates free of charge.

Aspirare Recruitment joined public services provider Amey, roofing and rendering company GMG Contractors, chartered accountant Watson & Co in backing the North Lanarkshire’s Working Ambassador Programme at an event in Motherwell yesterday. 

The North Lanarkshire’s Working partnership, launched in 2008, has helped 1,800 local businesses recruit over 3,400 employees from the ranks of the long-term unemployed, single parents and school leavers.

The programme brings together North Lanarkshire Council’s employment service Routes to Work with local colleges and social support services, and offers a ‘one-stop shop’ where local people can access suitable training and education opportunities before receiving help to find job opportunities to suit their newly-acquired skills and qualifications.

Martin McCrum (right), director of Aspirare Recruitment, told Recruiter his company had successfully used one of the council-led initiatives, ‘Extra Pair of Hands’.

“With financial support from the council, ‘Extra Pair of Hands’ gave us the opportunity to hire two people when we probably would only have been able to afford to take on one,” he says. 

However, he warns: “There needs to be a real need and a real job so it is not seen as cheap labour.”

Gordon Wilson, account director at Amey, which has taken on 22 staff through North Lanarkshire’s Working projects such as Xtra Hands and Second Chance Apprenticeship, says: “The beauty of North Lanarkshire’s Working is the ease of use for businesses. The employer team remove all the difficulties of recruitment and they are flexible enough to quickly and efficiently meet our needs.

“They’ve even been able to create customised training programmes with local colleges to ensure that new employees are job-ready on their very first day.

“Our intake of 22 staff is a significant portion of our local team of 200 workers, which is a testament to the faith we have in the recruitment support available through North Lanarkshire’s Working.

“We’ve found new recruits in posts including civil engineering, roads maintenance and administration, and we’ve been very pleased with their loyalty and willingness to learn. Our first choice is always to recruit through North Lanarkshire’s Working whenever we can.

Maureen McConachie, head of regeneration services at North Lanarkshire Council, says: “We’re proud to welcome these four very different employers to the North Lanarkshire’s Working Ambassador Programme.

“Each of them has made a real difference by giving local people, many of whom have been unemployed for a significant length of time or lacked formal training, the chance to prove themselves in the workplace and begin to build a better life for themselves and their families.”