RUSSELL Taylor Group has begun a major new initiative to equip its workforce with the skills to strengthen the economy.

Now with its own Training Academy, the company is expanding its “home-grown” talent focus to train, develop and up-skill its recruitment teams - from apprentices just joining the business to existing staff on a route to senior management roles.

Among delegates on the first programme are 10 new trainees recently taken on by Burton Manor-headquartered Russell Taylor Group, its Wirral-based subsidiaries Recruit Right and NMS Recruit and Perpetual Partnerships, based in Knutsford.

The intensive course, running from now until November, is being held at Burton Manor and led by Russell Taylor Group’s training partner Andy Cain, a recruitment specialist with industry experience spanning more than 25 years.

Company chairman Peter Russell said: “A workplace strategy of training and developing our own home-grown talent to become the white-collar workforce of the future has been at the forefront of our operations since business start-up 17 years ago. In this period, we’ve supported more than 50 apprentices, many of whom have stayed with us to become key players and senior managers.

“However, the new Training Academy has taken our focus to the next level as we plan another ambitious expansion pathway for the business. By further investing in talent and training, we recognise that our people are our most important asset. They belong to the future of our business - as we continue to grow so do they.

“And for employers working with us to recruit labour, it means we can open up greater doors of opportunity to provide them with the right workforce with the right skills to make their businesses flourish.”

The Russell Taylor Group Training Academy will take recruiters through a programme of workshops covering marketplace activity and its current challenges, sales techniques, negotiation, developing client relationships, regulatory compliance and, finally, leading them to a detailed presentation to their managers.

Andy Cain, pictured with some of the trainees, said: “The course is intensive, as it needs to be in an industry like recruitment which is fiercely competitive. 

“The world of work has changed virtually beyond recognition over the past few years so it’s vital that recruiters are equipped with the knowledge and training to perfectly match employers’ current needs with the skills of those seeking work.

“The academy workshops are all about success – for Russell Taylor Group and its workforce and for the impact they will have on business’ future hiring processes.”

Russell Taylor Group managing director Rob Kurton added: “Having an expertly-trained team of recruiters has never been more important than now.

“As a business, we have come through a challenging couple of years in all our operational sectors of recruitment – from technical, engineering and construction through telecoms, energy and sales to industrial and commercial – and forecasts for this year and onwards are looking good.

“However, we have a situation nationally where skilled job-seekers are in charge of the labour market and likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. The Training Academy will now see our recruiters uniquely placed to make successful inroads into plugging some of these skills gaps as we all work to rebuild the UK economy.”