Helping to employ and train local people
Helping to employ and train local people
In February 2008, Capita Life & Pensions Pearl account in Glasgow signed up to a local employment partnership with Job Centre Plus. The primary objective was to fill vacancies in the contact centre, created as a result of work migration from our Wythall site and new work orders from the client.
Since the partnership began we’ve held open days in February 2008, August 2008, and January 2009, each one attracting over 70 people. Candidates shortlisted from the open days are booked in for an assessment which includes keyboard skills and PC literacy, numeracy skills, listening skills, telephony manner and general aptitude. The main aim of the assessment is to gauge potential, not contact centre experience. Successful candidates are then moved forward to a final interview.
Candidates who attend an open day but are not successful are offered further training by the Job Centre. This can involve going on a training course at a contact training centre (CTC). Part of the course involves visiting a working site to demonstrate the realities of working in a contact centre and Capita are one of a number of companies offering this service. We also offer trainees that chance to take part in mock interviews with a view to improving interview technique.
To date the partnership has proved to be a tremendous success, resulting in the recruitment of 30 new employees to Capita. Ozma Ahktar joined Capita in April 2008 following completion of the CTC initiative. Here’s what she had to say:
“I’d been out of work for over two years and kept being told that I didn’t have enough experience, even though I’d studied at university for three years! I went along to one of the open days at the Job Centre and decided to go on the eight week CTC training course. The course really gave me a lot of confidence and soon after I successfully applied for a job at Capita.
“I’ve been with Capita for well over a year now and I really love it. I’ve got two teenage kids and being at work gives me time on my own as an independent person and I get great satisfaction from resolving customer’s queries and complaint.”