Are you looking for entry level staff but don’t want to spend time or money doing it?  Team London Bridge has teamed up with our neighbouring BIDS, Better Bankside and Waterloo Quarter to run a local employment project, funded by Southwark Council. 

The aim of the project is to find out how businesses in Southwark recruit, what their recruitment needs are and whether they would consider recruiting from within Southwark using local job brokers such as Calder, A4E, Red Kite Learning and Job Centre Plus. 

We have spent a lot of time talking to businesses about how we could assist them to recruit, and have come up with three main ideas to trial with businesses over the next couple of months:

• a FREE personalised service where Team London Bridge will be the “go between” to ensure the right type and calibre of people are sent to you for interview

• an easy to use directory to help you assess which local job brokers are most appropriate for the type of vacancy you have

• an informal local “charter” which both employers and job brokers can sign up to, to enable best practice (a draft of this will be trialled with businesses)

Nigel Guy at The Bridge Lounge has already filled two chef roles, plus bar staff positions using this process.  He said “Overall the experience was a positive one, it saved me both time and money going via local job brokers and the Job Centre. Now I know it can work, I would use both of them again.” 

Currently we are working with businesses and job brokers to recruit for jobs such as hair stylists and sales people for businesses within the London Bridge area.

Employing locally is great for the local unemployed population and great for businesses too from both a responsible business perspective and a practical perspective.  Travel time for local employees is reduced to and from work, reducing the likelihood of delays - many employees might even be able to walk to work – a great security for those snow days and strike days, knowing that someone will be staffing your business when other people may find it hard to get to work. 

They will also have a lot of local knowledge about the area and the community, which would be of great benefit to businesses with a concierge service and in the retail sector.  It could also be argued that having a lower rate of local unemployment leads to a higher rate of local people with disposable income and there is a proven connection between high employment rates and reduced crime rates.

At the Local Employment Summit in May, Cllr Peter John noted that despite Southwark seeing a higher growth in jobs and new business (compared to the rest of London) there are still pockets of high unemployment and deprivation across Southwark. He stated that Southwark Council is dedicated to having a dialogue with the local business community, as well as help provide greater employment opportunities and greater economic prosperity. 

If you would like to know more about this free service or you have entry-level vacancies coming up that you would like to fill with assistance from Team London Bridge, please speak to Georgina Dawkins. 

Call 0207 407 4701 or email her on georgina@teamlondonbridge.co.uk

Related links: www.teamlondonbridge.co.uk/newsdetails.aspx?ref=1170