Training and recruitment is something that is taken very seriously by local company Jas P Wilson at Dalbeattie; they recognised a long time ago that in order to develop their business, they needed good staff and sought to provide them with the correct training package, enabling individuals to reach their full potential. Recruitment has also been something, which on occasion has also been a challenge; it is extremely difficult to find people with the right skillset to fill positions that become available, these examples highlight the real challenges faced by industry, and are something that requires immediate action, planning and collaboration to address.
Jas P Wilson offers a wide range of skilled jobs in the local area (many of the roles also provide a platform for individual career progression and personal development) and is quick to recognise that to achieve its vision for the future, it must continue to recruit and develop good people; The only way it can do this is to take a proactive approach and raise the profile of what it does within the community.
The company have always enjoyed a good working relationship locally with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Barony Campus and Dumfries and Galloway College, affording full time students work experience opportunities, many of whom have been employed by the company after their course was completed, subsequently completing their apprenticeships as an integral part of the business. The company also have a pilot project which provides work experience for Secondary school students in partnership with Dalbeattie High School which has also been a great success, introducing young people to career opportunities in Engineering, Finance, Sales and Marketing.
This year the initiative has been expanded, affording the opportunity to four local schools, with planned site visit’s, interactive engineering and machine operator experiences setting the scene for tomorrow’s engineers and operators.
Between the schools and colleges there have been over 150 people on site visits. Of these – 16 young people were so enthused about what they saw that, they made arrangements to return for work experience. Flexible systems were developed by the company to suit the individual and the institutions, with young people working with experienced mentors [who have themselves been apprentices] in different areas within the business.
