How putting a premium on people has paid off

Feb 12 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

INVESTING in training for temporary staff has helped a recruitment firm to double its turnover and boost its own staff numbers from two to 21.

Peterlee-based Premium People has just opened a second office in Consett and is on course to open its third in Sunderland next month, with a fourth branch due to follow in Darlington in June.

The business, which is aiming for a turnover of £7.5m in its third year, was set up by Paul Boyes, a former operations director at Royal Mail.

He said: “Since Premium People was started in August 2006, our turnover has doubled. We have enjoyed rapid growth and have diversified into new markets. We are 600% ahead of business forecasts.”

He said that Premium People’s decision to train the temporary staff it provides for clients is behind its rapid growth. “Most clients recognise the benefits of having a training and recruitment company to help them find and train the right people and this without doubt has accelerated our business growth.

“We have grown terrifically over the last 18 months. We’ve combined training with recruitment and we are very heavily involved in putting temporary people into work. There’s a niche here.

“We train people both before and during their assignment. Lots of companies only train their own guys. We are very much a company which is determined to get our people trained to the best of our abilities.”

The business, which has signed up to the Train to Gain Skills Pledge, currently employs 21 people.

The number will increase to 25 when the Sunderland office opens in March with plans to grow the staff there to 10 or 12.

Mr Boyes aims to employ a similar number at the forthcoming Darlington office. The business provides staff for the manufacturing, warehousing and engineering sectors, as well as local authorities and call centres. It is also able to source staff from other EU countries for clients.

Mr Boyes said: “Our success in the early days was with a very narrow client base – 75% of our clients use us solely. They go with us lock, stock and barrel.”