We’re encouraging others to access employment support from South Tyneside Council
A Jarrow business is encouraging others to access South Tyneside Council’s employment support.
Penngiun, a multi-national ecommerce distributor headquartered in Jarrow, has accessed support to help employ people from a more diverse recruitment pool and now it is encouraging others to do the same.
The Jarrow business is among those who are endorsing South Tyneside Council’s ‘Building a Stronger South Tyneside’ campaign.
The programme provides support and resources to businesses that are seeking to create jobs in the borough by ensuring their workplaces and recruitment processes are inclusive to people from diverse backgrounds.
It aligns with the UK Government’s Get Britain Working white paper, which has set out a national ambition to reduce economic inactivity and achieve an 80% employment rate by 2030.
Karl Beal, Country Manager, UK, said: “We were struggling to recruit for numerous positions across the business, and had a really positive experience of working with South Tyneside Council to help us do so.
“Following a site visit, to understand more about our business and the roles we were advertising, the Council identified a range of local ‘job ready’ candidates they believed would be suitable for these roles.
“They asked that if instead of a formal interview, we would consider a job trial, which would be far more suitable, to many of the candidates who had previously worked in very hands-on industries.
“We agreed and this small change to the process we had typically used, had such a positive impact and really improved the candidate experience.
“We have recruited candidates that we may not have otherwise, and I would encourage other businesses to think outside the box in this way.”
Ronald Coxon is an employee who joined Pennguin as a direct result of this process following a career in security.
Speaking about his experience, he commented: “South Tyneside Council basically got me an interview with the company and since I’ve been here, it’s been excellent.
“The people here are easy to work with and really go out of their way to help you if you’re stuck with your work. They’re a pleasure to work with.
“For anyone out there looking for work, I’d definitely recommend talking to South Tyneside Council. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the help you’ll get.”
Cllr Margaret Meling, lead member for economic growth and transport at South Tyneside Council, has praised the early impact that the scheme has had in the borough.
She added: “The Building a Stronger South Tyneside campaign was launched to help address economic inactivity across the borough and Pennguin is a perfect example of how it is doing just that.
“By making a series of incremental but impactful changes to the way it approaches the recruitment and retention of staff, the company has been able to provide opportunities to local people who may have faced barriers to employment in the past.
“We are delighted that South Tyneside Council were able to support Penguinn and are hopeful that, as more businesses engage, we can help open up quality employment opportunities to even more residents across the borough.”
Other businesses that have backed the campaign include Dicksons, Port of Tyne, Training in Care and South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.
For more details, you can visit: https://investsouthtyneside.com/building-a-stronger-south-tyneside/ or email: [email protected].