Building Brighter Futures
Reed in Partnership, part of the UK’s largest family-owned recruitment brand, aims to positively transform people and their communities. Millions of people across the UK have benefited from their services, which help people start working, improve their health, develop their skills, and fulfil their potential. In a recent conversation with Karen Dickson, Employer Services Director at Reed in Partnership, we learnt about the impactful work her team is doing in the employability sector.
A Rapidly Growing Organisation
Karen started her journey at Reed in Partnership just over three years ago.
“There’s been quite a lot of change in that time, so we’ve gone from being relatively small to pretty big really quickly,” she explained.
The organisation has grown significantly, expanding its divisions to include Citizen Services, Environment, Reed Wellbeing, and an Assessment division. This diversification allows them to share best practices across all areas while maintaining a strong focus on employability, their largest division.
Professional Development Program with Prospert
One of the highlights of our discussion was Reed in Partnerships’ collaboration with Prospert on a professional development program focused on employer engagement.
“We looked at a few different options in terms of employer engagement training and what we thought we could get from it,” Karen said.
The program aimed to retain top talent and provide support through structured training.
“We did a survey with some of our team to say, what would you like? Would you like more internal training? Would you like something external? Would you like something accredited? And that’s what led us to Prospert.”
Karen shared that the program provided valuable support and was well-received by employees.
“It’s a structured program and it was laid out in a really nice way,” she said.
Karen says professional development is an important aspect of retaining and attracting staff.
“To be an employer of choice, we know that we need to provide good quality professional development opportunities,” says Karen.
Jenny Smith was one of the Reed in Partnership consultants who participated in the professional development program. She said the program has given her more confidence in engaging with employers and a process to follow.
“I’m able to prepare a clear plan for my employer meetings and my relationships are built on trust and clear expectations,” says Jenny.
“It’s given me the confidence to proactively suggest ideas to employers including a recent interview day which resulted in three job interviews and one job start!”
“I’m now expanding this work to a second location with the same employer,” she said.
Employer Engagement in the UK
Reed in Partnerships’ investment in professional development is part of its efforts to build more meaningful relationships with employers.
“We’re deeply invested in building proper long-term relationships with employers,” she explained.
She emphasised the importance of shaping roles to fit the market and highlighted the role of social value in government contracts as a significant factor in gaining employer support.
Green Skills and Environmental Initiatives
An exciting area of growth for Reed in Partnership is its focus on green skills. Karen shared the launch of Reed Environment, which aims to address the UK’s significant skills shortage in this sector.
“We set up Reed Environment because there’s a big skills shortage in the UK,” she explained.
This forward-thinking approach aligns with government policy and positions Reed in Partnership at the forefront of the green skills market.
Future Prospects
Looking ahead, Karen is optimistic about the future.
“We’re really strengthening our employer services function, which will support our continued growth and success in our mission,” she said.
If you’d like to learn more about Prospert’s innovative approach to learning and development, contact us! Our work extends beyond Australia to New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.