Posted: Monday 13 September 2010
Who Will Be Hired?
Who will be hired...
Craig Howarth, Managing Director of EFG Furniture, based at Lingley Mere, came up with a unique idea to help the unemployed in Warrington. Based on the idea from Alan Sugar’s 'The Apprentice', Craig chose six hopefuls from the many who attended a screening interview from the Job Centre. The candidates come from a variety of backgrounds with various knowledge and experiences.
The final six have undergone pre-employment training with Warrington Business School, developing knowledge in sales, negotiating skills, dealing with conflict and customer service. After having no previous sales knowledge, the six candidates will complete a six month trial period of employment at EPG Furniture. After the six month period, two out of the six candidates will hopefully hear the words "you're hired".
Working with Job Centre Plus and Warrington Business School, European Furniture Group’s scheme is designed to offer the people of Warrington new opportunities in areas of work and training. If successful, the scheme will be rolled out across the company to give other hopefuls this amazing opportunity.
Name: Mark Wilde
Age: 44
‘This has been a massive opportunity for me and is really a win-win situation. Even if I don’t get through to the next round the pre-employment training provided by Warrington Collegiate was second to none and I thoroughly enjoyed it and it is something that can be taken away and used in 
other interview situations. The environment is great and the people here are very friendly and helpful. Whoever succeeds and gets the places will be very lucky indeed’.
Name Natasha Podmore
Age: 23
‘The experience has been exciting and the opportunity unique, especially the fact that the opportunities have been given to local people rather than more experienced sales people’.
Name: Chris Critchley
Age: 24
‘We have been provided with the complete tool kit to enable us to do the job with the training by the Collegiate. The whole experience has been rewarding and the people very friendly. The environment is great and very relaxed and as an experience it is great. I will be very pleased and proud if I am chosen for one of the places at EEG'.
Name: Dave Fairclough
Age: 24
‘This has been a fantastic experience and the opportunity for local people who have wanted to take a different path. The internal and external environments are great and everything is very relaxed. The staff are very encouraging and I am happy to be here!’.
Name: Jack Rawley
Age: 22
The retail training was really good and was the best training that he had ever been on delivered by Chris and Emma from Warrington Collegiate. Both had different approaches and the training was very interactive and things just seemed to click into place. The people here are great and there is a relaxed atmosphere but it has
been a steep learning curve for me, an experience never to be forgotten and a sense of achievement. We work well in a team even though we are in competition with one another and it would be great if we all were employed at the end of an unforgettable experience.’
Name: Ben Ord
Age: 20
‘This is a unique opportunity for local people and gives them the chance to try something new. The working environment is great and the people are second to none. Even if I don’t have the opportunity to carry on then I will still have the experience which will look good on my CV’.