Three young people have had their careers in Chesterfield’s recruitment sector kickstarted by Edwards Employment Solutions.
Adam Chapman (25) from Dronfield and Tia Lowe-Fowler (23) from Eckington have joined Edwards Employment Solutions through the Kickstart Scheme as Recruitment Co-ordinators, while Ellie Hartshorn (27) from Chesterfield has joined the business as an apprentice.
The Kickstart Scheme was launched last summer by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, with the aim of creating six-month paid work placements for young people who are at risk of long-term unemployment.
Izabella Edwards, Managing Director of Edwards Employment Solutions explained: “As soon as I heard about the Kickstart scheme I was keen to use it to bring young people into the business and give them a step into the recruitment sector.”
She added: “It has been an incredibly challenging time for many employers and the Kickstart scheme is a really brilliant incentive to support young, local people at risk of not being able to get back into work any time soon because of the pandemic.”
Both Adam and Tia bring a wide range of experience across a variety of sectors to their new roles at Edwards Employment Solutions, where they will be helping match candidates and employers.
It was a previous tennis coaching position at Beauchief Tennis Club, that initially introduced Adam to a customer/client facing role and ignited his interest.
He said: “I’ve always enjoyed helping people and, with this role, you have the ability to make a really big impact on someone’s life by helping them find the right job. I’m really excited to start working with the Edwards team and put my people skills to use.”
Like Adam, Tia has also held a number of customer-facing jobs, including one as a dog groomer. She said: “I’ve enjoyed a number of roles from bar work to dog grooming but really wanted a career change. The position with Edwards really appealed to me as I wanted more of a commercial role. I am keen to provide great customer service and help effectively match candidates and employers.”
Ellie Hartshorn joins the business alongside Adam and Tia as an apprentice. With previous roles in nursery and social care, Ellie decided she wanted a complete career change and is now using an apprenticeship to retrain.
She explained: “I was looking into a career change for a while, but I am really passionate about helping people and wanted this to continue, the role with Edwards felt like a perfect fit. I get to work in an office environment yet still talk to people on a daily basis to help them find the right positions for them. It’s a really interesting sector.”
Praising Ellie, Adam and Tia, Izabella said: “Our new starters have already surpassed our expectations!
“I am committed to giving them all the help and support they need to really enjoy and succeed in the recruitment industry. But, more than that, I really want to help Ellie, Adam and Tia to progress at Edwards beyond their training programmes.”
Despite the pandemic, Edwards Employment Solutions has experienced two successful years, helping many key worker industries to find the staff they need.
Established in May 2018, Edwards Employment Solutions has helped thousands of local people secure employment, placing more than 600 people in permanent roles and over 3,000 in weekly assignments, throughout Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.
Anyone interested in exploring a career in recruitment, please email izabella@edwards-employment.co.uk or call on 01246 886 366.
Edwards Employment Solutions supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.