Copart’s HR Director and Learning & Development Manager recently attended a collaborative networking event with the Chamber of Commerce to discuss skills and training challenges, and explore potential solutions, alongside other local businesses.
This highly interactive ‘Skills and Training: the Employers Voice’ event was held in the Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC) at Cranfield University and was a fantastic opportunity for us to share our experience and ideas around recruitment.
We also joined important debates and discussions around skills gaps, behaviours, health and wellbeing, and employee retention.
With plenty of best practice and ideas being shared during the session, we were able to highlight the success we have achieved with our Copart Driver Academy, which was launched in 2022 to secure the future supply of highly skilled Copart drivers amidst a reported shortage of more than 100,000 qualified HGV drivers in the UK.
Copart’s apprenticeship programme has also been a hugely successful method of addressing skills gaps. We’ve committed over £0.5m to apprenticeships and we’re currently supporting 200 colleagues through programmes, over a third of whom have already progressed into new roles within the business and are on track for long-term career paths.
Leanne Carroll, HR Director at Copart UK, said:
“This new collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and their local council partnerships across Beds, Bucks and Northants aligns perfectly with our Copart Cares commitment to supporting communities.
In future, we’ll be able to utilise their recruitment support services to reach an even wider audience seeking employment opportunities when trying to source suitable candidates for our more specialised or unique job roles.
We were also happy to provide information, feedback, and ideas on the day to assist the Chamber of Commerce with gathering the vital data they need to help support businesses across the region in overcoming barriers to recruitment.”
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