Runshaw partnership delivers for Chorley unemployed

A collaborative project between Runshaw Business Centre and the Jobcentre Plus has seen 13 new members of staff appointed within the operations department at Parcelforce.

The project, which aimed to help a number of unemployed people in the Chorley area to return to work, proved to be a great success after all candidates secured full-time permanent employment.

Throughout the process, Runshaw Business Centre provided in-depth training for the candidates aged between 20 and 52, some of whom have been unemployed for 12 months or more.

The programme ran over a two-week period and involved a selection of sought-after qualifications such as Health & Safety, Manual Handling and First Aid.

On completion of the course, all candidates were offered the opportunity to be interviewed for five vacancies. However, all candidates impressed the company and managed to secure roles at the Chorley-based distribution centre in Buckshaw Village.

Amanda Jakeman-McCracken, employer and partnership manager at the Jobcentre Plus, said: “We are delighted that this collaborative project with Runshaw Business Centre resulted in a 100 per cent success rate and we are keen to identify similar opportunities with other businesses in the area.

“Runshaw Business Centre delivered training of an exceptional standard whilst ensuring that the course content was focused around great teamwork, one of Parcelforce’s key objectives. From a recruitment perspective, this process allowed us to find out more about the employer’s needs, helping to prepare the candidates for their interview in the most effective way.” Adrian Roscoe, business centre manager at Runshaw, said: “The outcome of the project has been really positive and we are hoping that we can replicate this success and get more people into secure employment whilst ensuring that businesses have the right calibre of staff with the necessary skills.”