Ingeus

Tesco were opening a new store in Peebles, Scottish Borders. As a member of the Government’s Local Employer Partnership initiative, they decided to work alongside Jobcentre Plus and Ingeus to carry out the necessary local recruitment drive.

Craig Purves, Ingeus’ Employer and Partnership Coordinator for Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders, arranged two group assessment days where Ingeus clients were pre-screened and then interviewed. As the new store had yet to be built, Tesco also benefited from being able to conduct interviews from rooms in our Galashiels office.

Craig says, “Using our service saved Tesco time, easing their workload during a very hectic period with their new store opening.”

Over the two-day period, 21 candidates were pre-screened, of which 14 were interviewed and 10 were successful in securing employment.

Elaine Wilson, Customer Services Manager at Tesco, says, “Ingeus clients now account for over a quarter of our total staff. We couldn’t have achieved this without their valuable input and co-operation. Working directly with Ingeus was a huge benefit to us, and being able to use their facilities for interviews at such a busy time was brilliant.”

Tesco’s recruitment strategy for their new Peebles store was acknowledged at the Borders Business Diversity Awards in September 2009 when they won awards in both the Recruitment and Retention categories, as well as winning the overall award.

The awards, which were presented on behalf of the Borders Supported Employment Network, recognise companies in Scotland who are doing their most to promote inclusion and equality for employees with a disability and who welcome diversity into the workplace through their staffing policies.