Member Article

North East firms join forces to help jobseekers

A fast-growing cleaning firm has become the first business in the region to take advantage of a new scheme that aims to help unemployed people access new facilities management opportunities.

MJF Cleaning Services has enlisted the help of fellow Darlington-based environmental services training business Nordic Pioneer to fill its demand for new team members.

MJF is the first company to access the newly launched Nordic Facilities Management Academy (FMA), which has been developed to help unemployed people gain entry level qualifications before achieving work within facilities management organisations.

The cleaning services operator is currently undergoing a sharp rise in demand and so needed to find a training provider that could cater for its specific needs.

Nordic has duly delivered and, since signing up to work with Nordic FMA, MJF has already recruited a number of permanent staff from the programme.

Nordic and MJF are now jointly advertising for candidates to enrol onto the bespoke training programme, having also planned joint awareness day presentations to outline the opportunities that potentially await candidates at the end of the course.

MJF has provided Nordic with the site equipment, plant and chemicals that the successful candidates would use in a live situation, while Nordic trainers have also received training on the equipment as part of the agreement.

On the final day of the course, candidates are given the opportunity of a formal interview and work trial, with a view to receiving a contract of employment.

Once employed, the staff will also be enrolled onto an NVQ Qualification, which will also be delivered in the work place by Nordic.

Barry Sleightholme, business development director of MJF Cleaning, said: “Since our partnership with Nordic FMA began, the support that we’ve received from the company has been invaluable.

“When we first discussed the potential of developing a bespoke training programme for potential new staff, we were impressed by Nordic’s genuine approach to preparing candidates for employment. The five candidates who have already been successful in securing employment with us have been working very hard, becoming team players and excellent ambassadors of Nordic Pioneer.”

Nordic’s chairman Peter Robinson said: “It’s really exciting to be working in partnership with MJF Cleaning after launching Nordic FMA. We feel the cleaning industry has a poor perception in this country, and many people do not see it as an opportunity into work.

“It is therefore great to be able to provide this solution to getting people back into work and improving the perception of the sector.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Harvey and Hugo .