T Level students from Cardinal Newman College in Preston (centre, l-r) Ben Lintern, Hamza Usmani, Cameron Jackson, and Patrick Flanagan, flanked by James Hall & Co. Ltd HR Director Lee Smith (left) and Recruitment Manager Paul Armson (right).
Download imageFour Digital T Level students from Cardinal Newman College in Preston, UK, have now started with the company. The quartet will gain in-depth experience of the industry by working in James Hall & Co.’s IT department.
T Level qualifications require a minimum of 45 days of industry placement. The new starters will spend this time working across the IT department’s different areas. These include the service desk, the infrastructure team, software development for both retailers and the wholesale division, and working alongside members of the IT business transformation team.
James Hall & Co.’s recruitment team have also been out on the road this week and held a Q&A session with students at Cardinal Newman College in Preston. The team is also supporting young people at Runshaw College who are looking to make their first steps onto the career ladder.
Internally, there has also been a showcase of the current vacancies within the company, supporting existing employees with the chance to progress in their careers.
Based at Bowland View in Preston, James Hall & Co. is one of Lancashire’s largest employers with over 3,500 employees. It serves as SPAR’s primary wholesaler and distributor for the North of England.
As well as the core wholesale and distribution arm to the business, there is also a significant retail division at James Hall & Co. with 153 company-owned SPAR stores.
Paul Armson, Recruitment Manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “National Careers Week 2022 is the ideal opportunity to promote the vast range of career opportunities that exist within the James Hall Group of Companies. We’re delighted to get on board with our support.
“Attracting the best young talent into our business is a key focus for us as we plan for the future. It is brilliant to get out on the road into colleges with the team speaking directly to students about the opportunities we can provide in Lancashire and across the North of England.”
Emma Rowles, Learning and Development Manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome our four Digital T Level students into the company from Cardinal Newman College, and we look forward to getting them settled into their roles in the IT department where they can develop their skills and expertise.
“As well as opening up avenues for careers through new routes like T Levels, we have ambitious plans to grow our existing, high-quality apprenticeship offer right up to degree level. This expansion builds upon our long-standing commitment to career development at James Hall & Co. Ltd and enables the business to continually move forward”, Emma Rowles added.
Ben Lintern, 17, from Cardinal Newman College, said: “I chose to do the Digital T Level course because it is interlinked with business, and that is another subject area that I really enjoy.”
Hamza Usmani, 16, from Cardinal Newman College, said: “I haven’t yet decided on my career route, but I’m looking at going into cyber security or software programming.
“The T Level course is the best option for me to achieve this. It’s fantastic to get so much workplace experience with the course. It’s exciting to begin my placement here at James Hall & Co. Ltd. It’s a huge company with so many different areas and has strong links with a big global brand in SPAR.”
To view the latest vacancies at James Hall & Co. Ltd, please visit the careers area of the website here.
Source: SPAR UK
The UK became a SPAR member in 1956 when SPAR International granted the SPAR licence to a group of independent wholesalers. As a result, there are now five regional partners in the UK. A central office in London provides national marketing and buying services for the group.
SPAR has led the highly competitive convenience market in the UK for many years. Always innovative, the five regional partners continue to grow the brand. SPAR UK comprises independently owned licensed retailers and company-owned stores. These include forecourts, airports, train stations, city centres, and local neighbourhood stores.
