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QUALITY CONTROL

17th January 2008
Page 46
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Page 46, 17th January 2008 — QUALITY CONTROL
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Employ Recruitment meets its customers' needs by being selective

about the drivers it takes on. Tim Maughan reports.

In a male-dominated road transport industry, it's refreshing to meet an Alternate team.The workforce in question is Ashbourne,Derbyshire-based Employ Recruitment UK. Sadie Alcock, managing director, founded the firm in October 2004.

Alcock previously worked at a drivers' agency in Staffordshire where the priority was quantity not quality. As a result she decided to set up a recruitment outfit that focused on understanding and complying with the law rather than just placing scores of drivers into jobs. The first two years were very slow, she remembers— but with the foundations in place things grew.Turnover in 2004-05 was £700,000; in 2006-07 it stood at f.1.2m.

Alcock is supported by recruitment consultant Jo Stewart, tachograph administrator Sarah Cuncannon and office administrator Maxine Mitchell. Employ Recruitment's office is located in the Ashbourne Airfield Industrial Estate —it's a windswept, exposed part of the world. Step inside the building, though, and you are presented with the firm's swish livery and contemporary furniture. The boardroom is particularly impressivezAlcock says she spent a lot of time getting the look just right."We've been here since April 2007, and specified everything, including the board table."

Alcock's obvious zeal for the job is driven by more than just the desire to make mon ey."1"ve got an absolute interest in road transport," she says.The four women are currently studying for their CPC.The learning process is vital, she says:"It helps us adhere to the law and operators are confident because we know about the legislation."

So who are the firm's customers? One, says Alcock, is a local ownaccount operator — a food manufacturer. Employ is the only recruitment agency it uses. "We supply them with 40 to 50 (driver) shifts every week, mainly on artic work," she says.

Other customers include milk distributors, the Ministry of Defence, and a turkey company. From February, drivers assigned to moving live birds will have to hold a Certificate of Competence in the Transport. of Livestock.

Some agencies specialise in placing personnel on a temporary basis, others on a permanent basis. Alcock says just 15% of its drivers are permanently placed within a customer's operation — about 80-90% are temporary drivers:There are currently 1,000 drivers on the books, although Alcock points out that they are not all working at any one time.

When Employ Recruitment started out, Alcock's strategy was to target the Staffordshire area; Stewart was later brought in to expand the firm into Derbyshire. "She has been very successful. She now has 25 clients in the county," Alcock says.Today, the company is consolidating its presence in Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire and Cheshire.

The recruitment world is highly competitive, but Stewart says Employ Recruitment avoids the hard sell. "We don't hassle people on the phones; we don't make pushy sales calls." Instead, the focus is on the thorough understanding of legislation, and building up a highquality pool of drivers.

In a tightly regulated industry such as road transport, the devil is in the detail —a maxim that applies to hauliers and recruitment agen cies.To this end each driver is interviewed at the board table before being taken on, and must also sit a written test. Any shortcomings in knowledge and the applicant must resit the test before he can start driving. Some 80% of drivers fail the initial test— only after passing can they become Employ Recruitment drivers.

Detaiklegislation, and quality— we've heard a lot about these during our Ashboume visit and are keen to see the written evidence. Alcock and Stewart show us the company files, one for each driver: these contain test papers, medical questionnaires, copies of driving licences,accident report forms, references, and any general correspondence accumulated in the line of duty.

Plenty of hauliers are members of the Road Haulage Association or the Freight Transport Association, but CM has not come across many recruitment outfits who are members of these trade associations. ft is music to our ears, then, to learn that Employ Recruitment is an FTA member.

With our boardroom conversation coming to a close, we are eager to learn about the firm's plans.The strategy,Alcock points out, is to strengthen the firm's existing presence, move into the Birmingham market, and eventually push into Nottinghamshire. Honesty and legality are the keys to success in the road transport recruitment market, she says. But there is also a third ingredient. You must be able to keep your cool," she smiles. •


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