Liverpool-based Charlton Recruitment adds to training offer with £35k investment

A Liverpool-based recruitment company is expanding its services with a £35k boost from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Charlton Recruitment, which targets the UK’s catering and hospitality sectors, is using the five-figure funding to bolster its accredited hospitality training offer.

The firm used part of the investment to create a bar environment for training people in pouring and serving drinks, using EPOS till software and dealing with busy crowds.

The £35k was awarded through the NPIF – BFS & MSIF Microfinance and managed by Liverpool-based MSIF.

MSIF’s Finance Hub also helped Charlton Recruitment produce its final two-year forecasts, strengthening the company’s application for funding.

Charlton Recruitment was founded in 2014 by Nicola Cookson, who now manages the firm with Andrew Cain. Andrew was appointed in 2015 to support the development of the business.

Nicola said: “We wanted to expand into delivering hospitality training to compliment the recruitment agency we already had in place, and also to help unemployed people to get back into work.

“We are now able to provide people with our training courses, which leave them with a Level 2 qualification in hospitality and a route into the hospitality sector.”

Andrew commented: “We had some great assistance from the Finance Hub at MSIF which enabled us to secure the funding we needed to launch the training academy.

“The funding from MSIF enabled us to turn our vision into a reality. Thanks to the funding, we have been able to deliver our first training course within four weeks of our expansion.”

MSIF investment director Sue Chambers said: “The recruitment side of the business has gone from strength to strength under Nicola’s management.

“The addition of the new training courses are a great idea and I feel they will only increase the success of Charlton Recruitment, and ensure the best quality staff are within their business.”

British Business Bank senior relationship manager Sue Barnard commented: “The North thrives off the thousands of smaller businesses that make up the economy.

“NPIF was set up to provide funding to these companies to support their expansion, and Charlton Recruitment is a perfect example of an SME with the right plan in place and the ambition to achieve strong growth.”

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