As we grow, our commitment to supporting the next generation of talented electro-mechanical engineers becomes even more fundamental to our business. Our most recent graduate has already contributed significantly to the company, and without using the LCR Grad Scheme we would have found finding a candidate with their specific related skills much more difficult.
We were recently asked to support an event where other prospective employers could find out first-hand how the scheme has worked for us.
Our Marketing Manager, Thomas James, spoke at the event hosted at the Innovation Centre at the Sci-Tech campus in Daresbury.
Below are the speaker's notes:
- How did you find out about the LCR Grad Scheme?
Universities from the Liverpoo City Region (LCR) came into the campus to have a look at opportunities on the campus and within individual businesses. Representatives from the LCR Grad scheme came into the office and spoke to our CEO Piers Olsen through a Uni open day. Each university has 3 lecturers or recent graduates who act as careers councillors.
- What was recruitment support like from the LCR Grad Scheme?
We met with the LCR Grad Scheme and discussed the opportunities available either to hire or provide experience to students. Someone from the scheme also spoke with our general manager Adam Bargh on the open day and discussed promoting the campus and the companies based here. One of the reps suggested a candidate in particular who fitted our industry and the skills required. A teams meeting was then set up between Adam and the prospective student. After we established a good fit, the candidate was invited for an interview and subsequently offered a role in the business. The scheme then supported 6 months of ongoing training, with a day release of one per month to undertake personal development.
- How has recruiting from the LCR Grad Scheme helped/impacted your business
The scheme provided a knowledgeable and specifically experienced graduate. Our business is very specific within engineering and requires cross-disciplines of mechanical and electrical engineering skills. This is particularly hard to find and identify in the open market, especially amongst new graduates who are more likely to only have experience in one area. The specific recommendation to us, by someone who had visited the business and understood what we needed, enabled us to find a brilliant candidate who has already contributed well to the company.
The candidate is keen, quick to learn and has demonstrated an excellent understanding of the technologies we use, both the positives and limitations of these. It is important to us as a business that we we are working with graduates and helping to train and develop people in-house. It would otherwise have been far more challenging to find the time, resources or specific knowledge of a graduate's skills to employ a similar candidate in a different context.
- What advice would you give to employers thinking about recruiting from the LCR Grad Scheme?
We would recommend it. It gave us access to an individual whose skills and training were particularly well suited to our company. The ongoing support for the candidate also seems to have been useful to them and the feedback from them has been positive.
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