A training and recruitment company which is spearheading the Gov- ernment’s Back to work initiative in Bury is proving to be “just the job” with those seeking employment.

Standguide, who are delivering the work programme on behalf of Avanta, have placed around 60 people in jobs since the scheme was launched in June, 2011.

The firm, located at Ribblesdale House in Market Street, is appealing for local companies recruiting staff to approach them.

Standguide acts as a virtual “one stop shop” in terms of training clients and helping them to gain employment. As work programme acting business manager Louise Lindsay stressed: “We want to get them back into work as quickly as possible.”

The busy company has around 550 clients on its books and six staff.

Louise explained: “We have 13 centres across the North West. Our clients are referred by the Job Centre Plus and we work with them for up to two years to help them to gain sustainable employment. This is done by running training sessions in our centres, CV workshops, dedicated Jobsearch sessions and one to one appointments with our clients to chart their progress.

“A big part of our business is a dedicated team of employment relations advisers, working for our clients, who source job opportunities, arrange interviews, run pre- employment training sessions and offer a place to hold interviews if necessary for companies in the local area. We effectively work as a recruitment agency as we work with businesses and their recruitment needs, but there is no charge to them whatsoever.”

Standguide has been in business since 1990 and has fulfilled various Government and Department of Work & Pensions contracts in the welfare to work sector. Louise said: “ We help a great deal of our clients into work during their time with us. We also offer in-work support which carries on for the remainder of the two-year period that someone is with us.

“We have a team at our head office who keep in regular contact with our clients who are in work and support them in what can be an exhilarating but uncertain period when moving from benefits and into employment.”

To take advantage of Standguide’s free recruitment service call 0161 761 4598.