Chamber Member’s E-Tech Components (UK) Ltd, are enjoying the benefits of the Chamber’s Graduate Programme following the addition of two new graduates to their workforce.
Graduates undertake three weeks of full-time training at the Chamber, covering essential business skills and qualifications including; Health and Safety, Online Marketing, Communication Skills, IT Skills, Business Improvement Techniques, Leadership and Management customer service skills and CV and interview techniques.
Following the initial training, graduates are matched up with local vacancies, where they can then participate in a work trial before being employed on a permanent basis by the company.
Ioannis Kountouriadis, Graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a 2:1 MSc Digital Marketing Degree and a background in Business Management, Science and Technology.
Seeking a role within marketing, Ioannis began looking for work, spotting an advert about the Chamber’s Graduate programme, he decided to sign up.
After the initial training stage at the Chamber, he was interviewed by E-Tech Components (UK) Ltd and taken on as the Marketing Manager, where he has now worked for the past seven months.
Ioannis, commented; “I feel that the Graduate Hub was really helpful as it provided me with useful knowledge and the necessary connections with companies who were recruiting. I enjoyed meeting other graduates and sharing experience and knowledge with people of completely different backgrounds, whilst sharing the common goal of finding a job.
“I would highly recommend the Graduate Hub to anyone looking to find a job. All the courses conducted during the programme were useful, but I found the vacancy matching and interview techniques very helpful. Many of the skills acquired are being used in my day-to-day routine. Having the recommendation of the Chamber makes a difference.
“I am really enjoying working at E-Tech. The environment and the communication are perfect. Everyone working there is very friendly and helpful and they all assisted me in adjusting from day one. If it wasn’t for the programme I would probably still be out there, job hunting or working at a far less enjoyable company in a field irrelevant to my studies.”
Fellow Graduate Michael Broadhurst participated in the programme in November, following a recommendation from his girlfriend.
He had recently graduated from Lancaster University with a BSc in Business Studies, majoring in Marketing, Management and Management Science.
Now working at E-Tech as an Internal Sales Administrator, Michael, commented: “The Graduate Hub really helped to refresh my memory and update my skills. I found the CV writing and interview techniques to be the most beneficial as it increases your chances of getting a job as you know what the interviewer is looking for.
“I think having the extra skills on your CV makes you more employable as it lets the employer see clearly what you are good at.
“The Graduate Programme offers a good stepping-stone into finding full time work and opens the door to finding a job that suits you best, rather than just accepting any job in a field you have no interest in.”
E-Tech Components (UK) Ltd are amongst 23 companies that have benefitted from the programme.
Paul Forester, Operations Director at E-Tech Components, said; “Ioannis and Michael have settled in really well. They have adapted to their roles quickly so far and have brought an innovative new dynamic to the company.
“Having Graduates working within the business is very important and advantageous for small companies. They offer fresh and innovative ideas and put into practice their knowledge and expertise from their subject areas.
“The Chamber, as always, has been a great help throughout the process. They helped us find and speak to the right type of people for the roles we had available.
“With the Chamber handling all the recruitment side of things on our behalf this was a huge benefit to us as it allowed us to make decisions quickly knowing we had the support of the Chamber behind us.
“I would recommend to any business, especially small and medium sized enterprises, to get involved with programmes like the Graduate Hub as a great way of getting good young people in to the business.”
If you have a position within your business that could be filled by a local graduate, please contact the Workforce Development Team on 01744 742333 or email workforce@sthelenschamber.com
