There may be various schemes and incentives available from local borough councils to encourage businesses to seek employees from within their local borough. Complete the enquiry form under other business queries on the Contact Us page to enquire of what schemes are available within your area.

UCLAN Internship Scheme

UCLAN has been successful in securing funding to place 200 graduates in internships within reputable businesses across the North West in the next year. The funding was secured to help higher education to respond rapidly to the needs of employers and individuals during the economic downturn.

The aim of the intern initiative is to support our new graduates and soon to be graduates in this difficult economic climate. Interns will be paid the agreed fee rate of £6.00 per hour and businesses can download full details of the scheme along with an application form here (NB: large file)

Local Employment Partnerships: realising the untapped potential

Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs) are a deal between Government and business to tackle the increasing recruitment and skills challenges of our labour market and economy. More than 5,000 employers across the country have already worked in partnership with Government to open up employment and training opportunities to disadvantaged jobseekers.

By working with you, Jobcentre Plus can understand your recruitment and training needs and access the appropriate Government assistance to help your business grow and prosper.

To find out more contact Jobcentre Plus on lep.enq@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk, or call 0845 600 8192.

Other Information

Before employing new staff you should consider whether taking on new staff is the best option for meeting your new need. Other options are training existing staff or outsourcing a particular job or department.

If employing new staff appears to be the most suitable option then it is worth considering that often employees are the greatest assets that an employer has, so it’s worth while spending some time over them.

Employing the wrong people can cost the employer time, money and/or lost profitability through:

• High absence levels
• Low morale
• Bad management
• High level of dismissal

Select the sub headings under Employing People from the left menu for further information or visit the Business Link website.