Plusnet, a British internet service provider, launched the Plusnet Pathfinders course this year. This course is a scheme that helps those who were not offered a job by Plusnet previously to build their skills, bridge any gaps they have in finding employment, and leave with the confidence to find a customer service job.
The scheme was set up in March 2019 and out of the 15 who have completed the first course, three now have jobs with Plusnet, and six have secured jobs with other companies in customer service jobs.
Plusnet have not heard of any other company running a similar scheme to this.
The Plusnet Pathfinders was launched by Sarah Lawton, head of HR at Plusnet. When asked what was the reason behind setting up this scheme, Ms Lawton said:
We were losing a lot of people to the recruitment process, who could learn new skills but not necessarily the qualifications.
Matthew Howe, who was recruitment manager at Plusnet, but has recently left to work for BT and EE as head of contact centre recruitment said:
We were uncomfortable by how many people were getting rejected. We can help people get the skills they need not the motivation.
He explained that the three who got a job with Plusnet after the course were all very motivated and reliable. It gave them far more confidence and proved to him that it is a “great” training scheme.
The training scheme consists of three sessions that last two hours each.
Ms Lawton believes that everyone is different, and so you cannot put anyone in to a box, you need to find out and unlock what an individual has to offer.
Plusnet headquarters are in Sheffield, with a “strong brand in the area”. Ms Lawton feels passionate about helping other people and believes it is nice to give something back to her local community.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
