Graduates make the right connections at ntl:Telewest Business

Citation

(2010), "Graduates make the right connections at ntl:Telewest Business", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 42 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2010.03742dab.005

Graduates make the right connections at ntl:Telewest Business

Article Type: Notes and news From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 42, Issue 4

Almost 30 apprentices hired from ntl:Telewest Business’s maiden graduate-recruitment scheme are on the path to becoming sales and business specialists.

The company decided to recruit at graduate level to secure a new generation of skilled young salespeople, able to offer businesses expert advice on which communication services best meet their needs. To do this it devised a fast-track apprenticeship program designed to provide graduates with a formal path into a long-term career in the business. The program was initially introduced in Yorkshire and Scotland.

In Yorkshire, an assessment day at Sheffield’s Don Valley stadium saw 65 hopefuls whittled down to 14 successful candidates. In Scotland, a similar recruitment event at the Crowne Plaza hotel attracted 55 applicants, 15 of whom were offered places on the graduate-recruitment scheme.

Having completed initial rotations in business disciplines such as telesales and telemarketing, the graduates will spend the rest of their training time in other departments before getting the opportunity to move into field or face-to-face sales.

“Especially in challenging times, it is vital to take action to attract the brightest talent to a business, as these are the people who will ensure its long-term future,” said ntl:Telewest Business’s Lee Hull, who led the recruitment program. “We realized that the leaders of tomorrow are naturally attracted to opportunities that offer clear paths for career progression and so invested in a structured program to deliver just that.”