Member Article

Beyond 2030 Gives Hope To Jobless

A pioneering initiative to train unemployed people, which can be replicated throughout the UK, has been successfully delivered by a North Yorkshire talent and skills development company.

More than 55 jobless people, some of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds and had also never even written a work application or CV before, have gained jobs at a new casino in Southend-on-Sea opened by Grosvenor Casinos, part of Rank Group Plc, thanks to support from York-based Beyond 2030, led by former director of talent and academy at Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc, Toni Eastwood.

Grosvenor Casino needed 100 employees for its new £6m Grosvenor Casino in September 2014, including experienced and trainee dealers, food and drink supervisors and workers; kitchen staff, porters, cashiers, electronic gaming hosts and receptionists but faced the challenges of recruiting and retaining staff in a seaside town.

Beyond 2030 worked alongside Grosvenor Casino managers to understand the skills and training required and what potential recruits should expect in terms of shift times, pay, promotion prospects and company culture from working at the new casino and created a bespoke training programme after identifying candidates through Job Centre Plus, The Government’s Work Programme and local FE colleges.

Toni Eastwood, who was awarded an OBE in 2007 in recognition of her work towards equal opportunities, says: “Our first programme presented 60 trained candidates for interview in September 2014 and 47 were offered jobs, a very high proportion which dramatically streamlined Grosvenor Casino’s recruitment. We were asked to repeat the programme this April (2016) and a further nine of the final 14 candidates were accepted even though only five jobs were originally available. Staff retention has also improved.

“This approach closed the gap between the skills of people who had been out of work and the specific needs of a local employer and could be replicated anywhere in the UK to meet recruitment needs and cut unemployment.

“It is very rewarding to see people who have had difficult pasts, or are suffering low self-esteem, break through the barriers preventing them from achieving their aspirations. They tell us that their lives have changed and that is really rewarding. We are talking with several businesses in Yorkshire and are looking forward to starting similar initiatives here.”

Rank Group director of talent acquisition, Nick Boothroyd, says: “Staff retention from the first Beyond 2030 programme has been good. The quicker transition to becoming a valued employee and the confidence recruits have when starting has also been markedly better.

“All this will deliver an improved return on investment through lower training costs and a faster contribution to the team. We look forward to working with Toni and her excellent team again elsewhere within Rank Group Plc.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mike Clarke Communications .