Major recruitment project is launched

A major project has been launched across Shropshire to provide recruitment support to businesses and get scores of people back to work following the Covid pandemic.

The Building Shropshire project will provide targeted job brokerage services to at least 27 individual companies across the county to help them fill vacancies and reduce unemployment levels.

Businesses operating in the construction, retail, hospitality, and care sectors will be the first to benefit from the year-long initiative that is being led by Wellington-based supported employment and training charity Landau.

Caroline Richardson, head of Employment Services for the charity, said: “This is an exciting new project and one that will help businesses build back stronger by ensuring they are staffed appropriately to deliver their services and products.

“We know from talking to businesses in certain sectors that recruitment is currently a big issue. Part of our role will be to try and understand better the challenges employers are facing and work with them directly to find individuals with the right skills so they can continue to operate successfully.

“Our work will involve advertising job vacancies for businesses and using our network of contacts and partners to match skills.

“Throughout the year, we will be holding a number of pop-up ‘Job Shops’ in rural communities across Shropshire to reach unemployed individuals. We will also run skills assessment days on behalf of the employers we are working with as well as support individuals with CV and interview preparation.

“It’s a challenging time for all at the moment, both individuals looking for work and businesses that are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic but hopefully together, through this project, we can build back stronger.”

The Building Shropshire project is being delivered by Landau in partnership with Shropshire Council with funding from the new ARG Business Recovery Scheme.

Councillor Ed Potter, deputy leader and portfolio holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Planning, said: “Shropshire Council is very aware of the recruitment difficulties some businesses in Shropshire are experiencing but are looking forward to seeing this pilot scheme, supported by some of the county’s COVID recovery funding, making a positive impact.”

Each year, Landau supports around 3,000 individuals back into the workplace or into training schemes through its specialist support services. Earlier this year, the organisation was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunities to those facing social mobility barriers.

Pictured: Caroline Richardson