Member Article

Opening doors for the unemployed

Essex company Nico is being supported with recruitment of long-term unemployed people by employability services provider Ingeus.

Nico, based in Clacton-on-Sea based, designs and manufactures hinges and fittings for windows, furniture and building industries. The company has recruited six Ingeus clients who had previously been unemployed.

Twenty one year old Hayley Fuller got her first job at Nico with the guidance of Ingeus under the government’s new Youth Contract, a scheme which offers a wage subsidy to employers recruiting long-term unemployed 18-24 year olds.

The government will spend almost £1 billion over the next three years in order to provide nearly half a million new opportunities to unemployed young people with extra help as part of their Youth Contract.

Hayley, who received help from Ingeus through the development of her CV, confidence and interview skills previously worried that her lack of qualifications and experience would put potential employers off. She is now an assembly operative, making a wide range of window hinges and brackets.

She said: “I am so glad Ingeus helped me demonstrate the skills I have and that Nico has given me an opportunity to prove myself”

It is not just 18-24 year old unemployed people Nico are looking to recruit, 50 year old Chris Stringer was unemployed for 18 months and estimates that he applied for 500 jobs before he was referred to Ingeus in Clacton where he was recommended to apply to Nico.

Steve Dalton, Nico Business Standards Manager hopes that the recruitment of the six new staff members will be the start a long-term career for each of them. He said: “Unemployed people and youngsters especially, are sometimes portrayed negatively but the people i see are really just desperate to work.”

He continued: “ I wish I could offer roles to everyone who applies but Ingeus helps by understanding our business and only putting forward candidates with the best chance of succeeding.“

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Francesca Dent .