SW Business Support Solutions had great success hiring through the Government’s Kickstart Scheme. Over the course of the scheme, they employed 66 young people into the business to provide well rounded support and experience to those who needed a kickstart in their career. As an employer, SW Business Support Solutions were conscious that these young people had little to no work experience or forms of higher-level education or qualifications. The experience they would gain through the Kickstart Scheme was going to be invaluable to them, however it was important to us to develop them for longer term roles and career, whether that be with the organisation, or elsewhere.

Aisha Pearce, Office Manager at SW Business Support Solutions said “That’s where SMART SKILLS came in. Having been in communication with Sean Gibson at the SMART SKILLS Hub on a regular basis, it was clear that SMART SKILLS could offer accredited qualifications and courses that would benefit most, if not all our staff. At the time of starting to work with SMART SKILLS we had 40 members of staff. 82.5% of our employees went on to sign up and begin courses, with some of the remaining staff likely to commence courses soon. There are a large number and variety of courses and qualifications to choose from, which enabled us to tailor an employee’s learning around the role they want to move towards in the future.

“As a business who invests in not only its employees but also the development and future growth of the business, the courses from SMART SKILLS allowed us to work with and develop those staff members that were, as a result, going to help the business reach its goals and success. I believe that SMART SKILLS could help people not only in Kickstart Roles but also those lacking work experience or even fresh out of college. I would highly recommend to any business looking to advance an individual’s development and potential to look at how SMART SKILLS could benefit them.”