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Innovative placement programme helps the North East businesses tackle recruitment and skills challenges

Recruitment and skills are some of the biggest challenges that businesses in the North East face.

According to research from the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, despite an increase in vacancies within many businesses, teams are finding it harder to fill jobs now than it was before the pandemic, particularly those operating in sectors such as IT, hospitality, engineering and retail.

In response to recruitment challenges and in line with its vision to help its own residents lead successful, independent lives, and support the communities within which it works, northern housing association Karbon Homes has developed New Start, an innovative work placement programme with training and personal development at its heart.

New Start offers five-month paid opportunities for local people either looking to get into work or looking for a change in career direction. Designed to help build skills and experience, the programme facilitates placements in career starter roles both within its own organisation and with a range of employers in the region.

With placements up to 30 hours per week and no prior experience needed, New Start turns the standard recruitment process on its head.

It adopts a more supported and informal approach, to help candidates relax and feel more at ease, and encourages employers to look beyond the candidates past experience and current skill sets and instead discover if they have the right behaviours and work ethic to fit their team.

Michelle Fortune, New Start Project Co-ordinator at Karbon Homes, said: “Post pandemic, the North-East has one of the highest unemployment rates in the UK. We developed New Start as a way of tackling this, by breaking down the barriers in the way of lots of local people accessing employment and providing them with opportunities to gain new experience and skills.

“In particular, it’s proven itself to be a great way to drive forward those markets in the region which currently struggle with a particular skills gap. For these markets it’s not as simple as finding ready-made candidates to fill their vacancies, they’re needing to turn their attention to nurturing and training new talent and that’s one of New Start’s unique selling points.”

Ongoing support is a key element of the programme’s success and throughout the five-month placement, both the employee and employer continue to receive ongoing support and guidance from Karbon’s Foundations for Life employability and skills coaches.

Candidates are also encouraged and supported to explore formal training and qualifications opportunities that will enhance their new skills and experience.

Michelle added: “The added element of ongoing support has been vital in making this programme work. For many candidates, who may never have worked or may have been away from employment for a long period of time, it’s not as simple as setting them off and expecting them to thrive. It can be a bumpy ride and our team act as that safety net, offering constant encouragement and guidance.

“The same goes for employers. It’s a big responsibility to take someone on who might not be able to hit the ground running in the same way someone employed through their standard recruitment process might, so the added support we provide them is key.”

New Start programme also plays an important role in Karbon’s approach to place making, helping to tackle the challenges of the region’s ‘left behind’ communities within which it works, where employment opportunities are often lacking or completely out of reach, and boost the residual household income of those who live there.

Michelle said: “Programmes like this have a really important role to play in helping to level up disparities within and between regions. A number of the New Start placements we bring to our ‘left behind’ communities are fully funded, so they don’t just provide opportunities to residents, but support local businesses to grow. It’s a win-win for the local economy.

“I am confident in the programme’s ability help shape the future of employment in the region and make an important contribution to ensuring more people have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.”