Wheell > Work, Health, Education & Employment in the Local Labourforce
Latest News
Wheell Website launch
27th OCTOBER
After months of development and preparation the wheell website has come to life.....Read More >
Wheell Partners
Do's and don'ts
When setting up your local recruitment partnership initiative it will always be a case of finding an approach that works for your locality and that best fits the partners you are working with. The following Do’s and Don’ts will help:
Do
Research the market – talk to people who have set up a brokerage as their experience will prove invaluable. Develop a business case - tailor it to meet your employers’ requirements. Gain commitment from all partners – full employer commitment is vital for a brokerage to work. The best scenario is to commit a member of Trust staff to work with Jobcentre Plus and any other partners to run the brokerage. Develop a solid governance structure – employers must be involved. Ideally, establish an employer-led Advisory/Stakeholder Group to agree project objectives, set performance standards, assess progress, analyse outcomes, unblock barriers and modify the brokerage as it progresses. Focus on high performance standards – your brokerage will stand or fall by its recruitment and retention results. Ensure you have adequate personnel – your brokerage can only function if it has enough staff. You need capacity to cover sickness, leave and staff turnover. Make sure your operation is properly funded. Base your brokerage at the best possible site – a hospital or health centre location allows good access for local people and allows senior health managers to build a good rapport with brokerage staff. Have a robust data collection system in place. Celebrate your successes – you can showcase individual and partnership achievements to inspire staff and partners at all levels, and attract additional employers, jobseekers and funding bodies.
Don't
Underestimate the power of partnerships – regular engagement with your partners is necessary to get the right people into the right jobs. Locate your brokerage at a site with no prospect for growth – ideally find a space that gives you the potential to expand in the future. Lose sight of the organic nature of your business – it will need to change and adapt to change and grow to meet demands. A flexible model will allow you to do this more easily. Forget the power of engagement – organise a series of presentations to managers and heads of department to explain the benefits of the brokerage to gain support and commitment to the project. And keep up the dialogue. Miss an opportunity to promote what you do – build up contacts with jobcentres, recruitment agencies and partners to get referrals to your brokerage. You can promote it to the public via the local media. Be afraid to start small – your main focus can be on entry level jobs to start with and then over time, you can take on other job roles.