In a bid to reduce unemployment amongst young adults, supermarket giant Tesco teamed up with PHX to deliver its Festive Routeway programme.
PHX worked in partnership with People Plus to recruit and train young adults aged 19-30 on the programme, which took place across August, September and October of this year.
Now three of those taking part have received an early Christmas present with a full-time job.
Thirty participants completed a two-week comprehensive upskilling course, covering the foundation principles of working in a retail setting including customer service, teamwork, workplace safety and retail operations.
The candidates then completed a 16-hour work placement based in Tesco superstores across Barrow, Workington and Carlisle, with a guaranteed job interview at the end.
Briony Fawcett, managing director at PHX Training, said: “This has presented a unique opportunity for these young people to gain hands-on experience in the retail environment where their learnings can be put into action on the shopfloor.
“For an employer to offer this level of training and experience combined with a guaranteed job interview at the end is something you don’t normally come across. It’s a great success story of employers addressing barriers to employment and making a difference in their local communities.
“We’re thrilled to have been selected as a delivery partner alongside People Plus, and it’s been great to see the programme so well received by those who took part, with multiple previously unemployed young adults now in employment.”
All candidates who completed the programme were also awarded with formal qualifications in customer service and personal money management.
Comments from Tesco personnel who took part in the programme included: “Gabby has such potential for retail, with a real eye for detail and an instinct for what looks good in terms of presentation.”
Another Tesco employee said: “It was lovely having Alex for the week. Can I just say what a confident young man he is. We are currently reviewing our recruitment needs, but he’s a fantastic candidate and left a great impression.”
Festive Routeway is part of Tesco’s Movement to Work initiative, and PHX Training and People Plus were selected as exclusive delivery partners for the programme. Movement to Work is a registered UK charity, set up in 2013 by a group of the UK’s largest employers that aims to provide high-quality work experience and training to unemployed young people.
PHX offers a range of training and vocational courses, including basic English and maths and IT skills, up to specific work sectors qualifications in health and social care, warehousing and business administration.
To find out about the full range of support PHX Training offers, contact 01228 210 317 or visit www.phxtraining.co.uk.