Smyths Toys and Realise deliver perfect early Christmas present
Christmas cheer has arrived early for more than a dozen out-of-work residents of West Yorkshire after they secured employment for the festive period after completing a training programme.
Smyths Toys Superstores has employed 14 people who have completed pre-employability courses, with a special focus on customer service, delivered by one of the UK’s leading training providers Realise.
The successful candidates will start work in the coming weeks and have secured a position until at least the new year.
They will fill sales assistant positions at the Smyths Toys Superstores in Leeds Birstall, Leeds Crown Point Shopping Park and Braford.
Dan Goodall, Operations Director for Adult Education at Realise, said: “This has been an extremely successful partnership which has provided employment opportunities for local residents and given Smyths Toys a major boost with its recruitment ahead of the busiest time of the year for retail.
“The pre-employability courses are designed to ensure people are ready to embrace the working environment, not only in terms of getting them prepared for the workplace but also assisting with training for interviews and CV writing.
“We are delighted to have played a small part in helping members of the local community receive a real boost in time for Christmas.
“We have seen several people complete pre-employability courses with us, secure temporary employment such as this and then enjoy sustainable and successful careers so the hope is this is a real opportunity for the learners.”
Smyths Toys and Realise partnered on the ‘Sector Based Work Academy Programme (SWAP)’, a fully funded course which saw anybody who successfully completed the training granted a guaranteed job interview with Smyths.
Kris Bateman, branch manager at Smyths Toys in Birstall, said: “It’s been fantastic to partner with Realise and provide opportunities for local people to step into employment in the build-up to Christmas.
“The candidates we interviewed were all of a high standard and we are looking forward to welcoming them on to the team as we build up for the big Christmas rush.”