Upholstery manufacturer Whitemeadow has stepped up its efforts to recruit and train school leavers and those looking to change jobs as it tries to fill vacancies.
It has set up a Careers Hub on its website offering information on roles within the upholstery sector and will introduce an Upholstery School after the successful introduction of it Sewing School.
The sewing initiative was introduced in 2019 and has successfully trained 18 full time sewing machinists who now all work in Whitemeadow production sites. It is a rolling program entering its fourth phase of apprentices and the company is looking for the next set of recruits. Those who complete either the sewing or upholstery course leave with a Modern Upholsterer Level 2 qualification and the offer of a full-time permanent role with the company.
The company will partner with various organisations moving forward to promote the Careers Hub and for the month of May they are partnering with a local career advice service and digital magazine that aims to inform, inspire, and support young people in making decisions about what to do when they leave school.
The Hub will also evolve over time to include added functionality such as being able to ask specific questions directly to relevant members of the team.
‘We’ve got a great team here that we are extremely proud of. We employ over 650 people at present but are still needing a range of people to fill various roles, especially upholsterers and sewing machinists. This has been an exceptionally challenging 12-month period, but it has encouraged us to focus our attention on ensuring that we are employing and retaining high quality members of staff who are proud to work for the company and who are passionate about what they do. The Careers Hub is a further demonstration of our commitment to not only fill the skills gap in our industry but to ensure that we have a workforce that believes in our vision and values,’ says Ian Oscroft, Whitemeadow md.
