Despite the volatile economic climate, a Stoke on Trent company is fighting the recession head-on by taking on the latest in graduate talent.
With the support of graduate recruitment specialists Grad Central, Johnson Tiles, which employs 398 people at its headquarters in Tunstall, has strengthened its workforce with the appointment of five new graduates.
Grad Central’s expert team worked with Johnson Tiles to make the recruitment process as simple and efficient as possible, matching graduate skills to meet the company’s specific requirements. Following this, the business, which is the UK’s leading manufacturer and importer of ceramic wall and floor tiles, has taken on two graduates into its marketing team, along with graduates to work in its logistics, manufacturing, sales and product development and training departments.
Ann Moult, Head of Personnel, Procurement and IT at Johnson Tiles, commented: “We have a serious commitment to investing in and nurturing graduate talent, as we believe the new skills, fresh perspectives and enthusiasm they can bring into the workplace are major advantages to our company.
“However, the recruitment process can often be very costly and time consuming. Grad Central took all that hassle away from us, providing us with an extremely professional service. The candidates they put forward met and exceeded our requirements. To compliment this, the first graduate we took on came with no recruitment fees, something that any business in the region can take advantage of. The fees for each graduate after this have also been very cost-effective, saving the business thousands of pounds in recruitment costs.”
The five new graduates include Stoke resident Jack Maclennan and Richard Baskerville, who lives in Stafford, both of whom are working as assistants in Johnson Tiles’ marketing team and graduated from Staffordshire University in Business Studies. Matthew Butler from Congleton, who graduated from Birmingham University in Natural Sciences, has joined the special projects department and will be working in various manufacturing departments. Stone resident David Stallard, an accounting and finance graduate from Staffordshire University, joins the company as an import product controller, whilst Mandy Jenkins, from Stoke, starts as a graduate national accounts assistant.
Jack Maclennan, said: “There’s no doubt that when I left university I was worried about finding a job, particularly with all the bleak reports out there about how tough the jobs market was.
“I came across Grad Central whilst searching on the Internet for graduate jobs in the Stoke area. Johnson Tiles was advertising graduate vacancies on Grad Central’s site, so I quickly signed up to the service to find out more information. Within a few days Grad Central’s consultant Matthew Small, who is dedicated to the North Staffordshire area, had secured me an interview. The support he gave me in the run up to my interview and afterwards was second to none, making this stressful process much easier to handle. I was delighted when I was offered the job, not only is Johnson Tiles a leading manufacturer in its field, but the company has lots of heritage in this area.
“I would definitely recommend Grad Central to any graduate that is hunting for work, whether they have recently qualified or have a number of years experience, the company caters for all.”
For more information, please contact Grad Central on 01675 461500 or visit www.grad-central.co.uk.
