Member Article

GAS relocation boosts Seaham

By Paula Jones, head of HR at Great Annual Savings Group

It’s hard to believe that we relocated our headquarters to Seaham only four and a half months ago. We moved to the Spectrum Business Park – which boasts stunning views of the North East coastline – on June 1 and already we’re woven into the fabric of this picturesque seaside town.

Since the move we’ve doubled staff numbers, with more than 60 dedicated employees now working from our Spectrum offices. Whilst the growth rate has been impressive, what’s really important is that we’ve managed to create these jobs for local people. Many of the positions have been filled by workers who live in Seaham and surrounding areas of East Durham and Sunderland – areas that have previously suffered from high unemployment.

Another notable aspect of our recruitment drive is that we’ve taken on ten young apprentices, who now have a great opportunity to develop their career in a fast-paced, expanding company. Apprenticeships are a fantastic way of developing the next generation of young talent and we’re a firm advocate of this type of training. According to official Government statistics, businesses that hire apprentices are more productive than those that don’t. Already we’ve seen our young recruits make a difference to our business and we’re confident that they’ll add even more value as they learn about the company, its operations and its values.

Our relocation to Seaham has also enabled us to provide regular work for local companies. Since June we’ve employed the services of valeting firm 3D Valets, cleaning expert Sparkles and catering specialist Delicious and all of these companies have hired additional staff as a result of the extra work.

Going forward we’ll continue to work with local suppliers wherever possible. That will help to create work for local people, boost the growth of businesses in the area and assist the regeneration of Seaham.

For further information about Great Annual Savings visit www.greatannualsavings.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Great Annual Savings Group .