Member Article

Employment scheme means more opportunities for North East jobseekers

A recruitment partnership between the Care Quality Commission’s Newcastle office and Ingeus, which delivers the government’s Work Programme throughout the North East, has just led to another three young people signing off benefits and starting work with the healthcare regulator.

The latest recruits take their places alongside four former Ingeus candidates who started working with the CQC last year, meaning that the partnership has now helped seven young people into employment.

Ingeus’s successful relationship with the Care Quality Commission began in 2012 when 21-year-old Scott Skelton was appointed to work in the company’s national customer services centre in the city. “Being unexpectedly out of work, I soon discovered that finding another job was not that easy,” he said. “That’s where Ingeus really helped – they encouraged me to brush up on my basic job-hunting skills which made sure I got noticed by employers. Thanks to their advice and the willingness of the CQC to give me a chance, I am now building a real career for myself.”

Scott was recently invited by his employer to take part in a workshop aimed at finding more jobseekers wanting to work for the Care Quality Commission. “Standing up in front of people and talking was nerve-wracking, but I just spoke about my own experience and how there are real career opportunities here if you’re prepared to play your part.”

One of those who attended the recruitment workshop, and who has just been successful in getting a job, is 20-year-old Stephen Leck from Chapel House. “I had been unemployed for nine months and spent most of my time applying for every vacancy I came across. I was determined, but I was going wrong somewhere. With no routine and little success, the days were getting longer and longer.”

Stephen was then referred to Ingeus for specialist employment support and, alongside the advice he received about enhancing his CV, getting noticed in job interviews and looking for the kind of jobs that interested him, he was invited to attend Scott’s workshop at the Care Quality Commission.

“I was offered an interview and so I put to good use all the skills I had learnt with Ingeus,” he said. “I was both surprised and delighted when they said they wanted me. I knew the competition from other Ingeus candidates was strong and so the odds were stacked against me, but I must have said something to impress!”

Stephen is now undertaking a range of admin duties for the CQC compliance team and is being encouraged by Scott and his colleagues to aim high. “The opportunities are there for him as they are for me,” said Scott. “It’s a great company to work for and he will be supported by everyone around him.”

The Care Quality Commission’s Joanne Thompson was a member of the recruitment team which, along with Ingeus, devised the innovative approach to finding new employees. “Clearly there has to be a formal application and interview process for all our jobs here, but Scott’s insight was extremely valuable. He was able to talk about his real-life experience of working for the CQC, and let the candidates know what to expect. As a result, everybody was better prepared for the interviews and those who were successful, including Stephen, have been able to settle in so much quicker.

“The Work Programme is really helping young people in this city get their first foot on the ladder of real careers,” Joanne added. “Ingeus provides us with job-ready candidates – they have been well prepared for the roles we have and know about the kind of company we are. This saves us so much time and means those applicants on our shortlist are there because they really want to work with the CQC.”

Ingeus is one of the UK’s leading welfare-to-work providers, delivering employability services to support unemployed people into lasting work. The company offers a free recruitment service to employers which ranges from CV-sifting to hosting full recruitment days and continues to support new employees for up to two years once they start work, helping employers to increase staff retention.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ingeus .