Companies find strength in local partnership

TWO Middlesbrough companies are joining forces to help provide better trained workers for the jobs market.

Jo Hand Recruitment has teamed up with Pitman Training to strengthen both firms' footholds on the local market.

Under the partnership, Jo Hand Recruitment will forward under-qualified candidates to Pitman for training, with graduates then referred back to help them find a job with their new skills.

Jo Hand, Managing Director of Jo Hand Recruitment, based in Albert Road, said: "It is important to really think outside of the box and look at companies that may have a link with what you your company does.  Both Pitman Training and Jo Hand Recruitment meet many people every day looking for training and looking for new work opportunities.  Working in partnership where there is a real synergy between firms can help both businesses achieve a lot more success and in this case we will help more people get better jobs using their newly found skills as well as giving clients a greater choice of candidates with up to the minute I.T. skills.

"It sounds a simple idea, but the best ones usually are. This will be very beneficial for both companies.

"From our point of view, if people come to us for a job that they are not fully skilled for we don't have to turn them away, we can send them along to Pitman to gain those skills.

"And now Pitman have somewhere to send their clients so they can gain jobs using the skills they have been trained in."

Kevin Green, owner of the Middlesbrough franchise of Pitman Training, based in the Cleveland Business Centre on Corporation Road, agreed: "Jo Hand is a well known name locally whilst Pitman is a big name nationally, having been in existence for 165 years.

"It is great to have a company we know and trust to be able to send our graduates to when they are looking for employment."

The two companies will be advertising each other's services on their websites and have planned a number of activities to reach out to the under-skilled and unemployed in the region.

Kevin added: "We have had a number of talks about how the agreement will work and both parties are more than happy with the outcome. This deal would be going ahead regardless of the current economic circumstances."

Jo agreed: "When there is talk of a recession that is the time to double your sales and marketing activities, to be creative and to look at additional revenue streams rather than bury your head and hope it passes you by. Whatever you put into a business is exactly what you will get out of it".