Exploring hire careers with Speedy
16 May 2023
Speedy reports that the online virtual work experience programme it held in February to inform young people about careers in the hire industry has proved successful and insightful.
The Aim ‘Hire’ initiative was held over ten days for young people aged 14 to 18 years and covered general aspects of the hire industry like working in a depot and handling equipment, and central functions like finance and marketing.
Participants learned about Speedy as an organisation and also gained valuable insight into important business areas such as ESG, Health and Safety, digital development and Speedy’s People First strategy. Additional sessions dealt with employability skills like time management, teamwork, communications and writing a CV.
“We had some great feedback from those who participated,” Gill Roberts, Emerging Talent Lead with Speedy, tells me. “They appreciated the friendly atmosphere we created and the wide range of career opportunities and transferable skills we presented.”
She adds that the demographic breakdown shows that the initiative, administered by the Springpod virtual work experience organisation, reflected a level of diversity broader than the traditional industry norm, with 59 per cent of participants being female and a higher-than-average proportion of people from different ethnic and economic backgrounds.
“Aim ‘Hire’ has certainly raised awareness of Speedy as a company and a brand,” says Gill. “It’s also broadened young people’s perception of the type of career they might have in the industry. They realise hire is not the stereotypical construction industry image of putting on a hard hat and boots to work at a site, but there are many other roles across the organisation.
“We will eventually target those who will be applying for jobs this year with more details of our apprenticeships, training programmes and work experience opportunities to broaden our talent pool.”
Initial plans are to run Aim ‘Hire’ again as part of Speedy’s wider Emerging Talent outreach programme, so this worthy initiative will continue to bring benefits to young people and the wider industry.
● Don't forget to also explore the Site-Eco area of the blog for news of sustainable products and developments relevant to the world of hire.
