Joe McGovern Transport, a logistics, warehousing and storage company in Cavan celebrates thirty years in business later this year. Mary McGovern, from the stalwart local business, tells us why she has sourced staff from Seetec for the last few years.

“Mainly it’s because Louise in Seetec Carrick-on-Shannon puts forward candidates who are well-trained. Training can be the biggest barrier for getting people into employment in the transport industry, it’s very costly, both for us as a business and for an individual.

“All the drivers and staff Seetec put forward had the specialised licences they needed to work with us – forklift, manual handling and even the accreditation to handle hazardous chemicals. They were trained and ready to work straight away.”

Mary believes the reason Seetec has been so successful at connecting jobseekers with local jobs is that they are embedded in the local community and have a fundamental understanding of the job market in those areas.

“That’s Seetec’s specialism – they know the local market. Because they’re based locally and know the area, they know what businesses need. The courses are tailored towards what local employers are looking for.

“It’s a brilliant service for me. We could advertise in the local newspaper, and we wouldn’t get an answer. Here we had a group of people, trained to work in businesses in their locality, ready and waiting for work.”

Seetec delivers the JobPath service for the Department of Social Protection across the north of the country. Their teams support people who are long-term unemployed to improve their access to the labour market. Seetec supports clients to get the training they need to gain sustainable employment. Through their service delivery, they connect clients to employers in their local area.

Support for sourcing talent helps local businesses to thrive

Although, sourcing staff and maintaining a full roster during the pandemic was difficult, Mary believes that the future of the rural economy looks bright post-pandemic.

“People have worked out they don’t need to go to Dublin to learn new skills, they can learn them remotely.

“That keeps money and talent in local areas, it creates jobs in local shops, restaurants and pubs. It can also create jobs in local transport as businesses will need more deliveries.”

Mary has said that she would recommend Seetec’s employer services to other local businesses with any staffing and recruitment needs.

“We’re in a network of hauliers and we received a call from another business in Tipperary asking where we sourced our drivers from.

“It’s so easy for me to pick up the phone and call Louise at Seetec and tell her I need staff, or a driver and she has people ready to work for me straight away.”

Seetec supports small and medium-sized enterprises across the north of the country. This service is free to employer partners. The service is ideal for employers who are looking to expand their workforce. Whether an employer needs just one crucial member of staff or has a few roles to fill, Seetec can help find the right people.