GetMyFirstJob | Where It All Starts For Apprenticeships
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About Us.

Our Company

GetMyFirstJob and The Talent People were established to help companies access the talent they need, when they need it. We use a wide range of technologies to help candidates become better informed about the opportunities that are open to them so that when they start work, it is based on an informed decision having considered the options. As a result we help to break down the barriers that exist; from challenging the gender stereotyping of industries to sharing the many new opportunities available through apprenticeships. Through this work, employers large and small can access better, more informed candidates who become the talent of the future.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to help employers access and employ the talent of tomorrow by using innovative technology to inform young people about their options and create effective and efficient routes into training and employment.

How it all started...

Whenever I’m asked why we set up GetMyFirstJob, I always reflect on my experience working for a big multi-national where I was responsible for learning and development. We identified very clearly that no matter how good the training and organisational culture, if the wrong people were recruited into the business, they were still the wrong people.

Although this was a challenge when recruiting experienced staff, recruiting good Apprentices that had the potential to be great was almost impossible. When you think about it, the likelihood of the right candidate finding the right job on the right website at the time when it happens to be posted is so mathematically remote to make it unworkable.

We set up GetMyFirstJob to help solve this problem; by working with young people and finding out what they are really interested in, and not simply making them apply for a job that happens to be available today, we’ve started to transform the way in which young people make the transition from education to work.

It’s a classic win-win. Candidates find out about roles that really interest them so are more engaged. Organisations – whether business, government of third sector – are able to recruit people that have a genuine interest in their work, not simply people who were told to apply to a job on a website. We’re proud of the fact that since we started, over 2.25m people have used our site to find out more about this approach.

In a busy month, we’re helping over 30,000 candidates to access the right opportunity for them. Working with a team that’s delivered this kind of success gives me a reason for coming into work every day looking for ways to improve what we do even more.

Board Members of GetMyFirstJob

David Allison

CEO

David is the Co-Founder and CEO of GetMyFirstJob Limited. He is passionate about improving access to opportunities for young people and helping business access the next generation of talent.

Following a career with Ford where, after a number of roles from advanced product development to European product planning, he discovered his passion for organisational and people development. David was instrumental in setting up and running Ford’s partnership with Loughborough University and was Director of the Henry Ford College.

Having gained an MBA, David left Ford to focus on Learning and Development. Following a number of senior roles at specialist training and L&D businesses, he co-founded GetMyFirstJob in 2011.

David has served as a Trustee / NED of NCFE, one of the UK’s leading awarding organisations, and was designated a National Leader of Governance in 2014 following his work with schools. He remains a visiting lecturer at the School of Business and Economics at Loughborough University.

John Parkes

Strategic Partnership Director

John is the Co-Founder and Strategic Partnership Director of GetMyFirstJob. He has been involved in the Skills and Work Based Learning sector for the majority of his career across a wide range of sectors.

As a highly-experienced sales and marketing professional, John was instrumental in establishing the philosophy behind GetMyFirstJob as a solution for training providers and colleges, to help them deliver high level of services to employers. By understanding the real needs of employers – large and small – John’s experience in Sales and Marketing lead directly to the creation of both GetMyFirstJob.co.uk and TheTalentPortal.

As Strategic Partnership Director, John leads the team that works directly with both National and Regional Government and their Agencies, as well as GetMyFirstJob’s partner organisations, such as YEUK, the National Careers Service and other careers and industry bodies.

Nathan Elstub

Non-Executive Director

Nathan is a Director of GetMyFirstJob Ltd. He is also Chief Investment Officer for Nesta which he joined in 2015. He has overall responsibility for the organisation’s investment activities.

Nathan has been involved in venture capital and private equity investment in high growth businesses for almost 20 years and has successfully backed companies in a wide range of sectors from startup stage through to buy-outs. Originally an engineer, Nathan is a Chartered Accountant and previously worked at Arthur Andersen, Barclays Private Equity and Social Finance.

Nathan is also an advisory board member and founder mentor of Emerge Education, a leading edtech accelerator, on the investment committee of the Shared Lives impact investment fund, an active business angel and non-executive director of a number of businesses.

Bill Thomas

Non-Executive Chair

Bill is a Director of GetMyFirstJob Ltd and chairs the Board. He currently holds several other Board positions including My Family Care (WorkFamily services) and Onesource Virtual (Business-Process as a Service provider).

Bill is a motivated, entrepreneurial business leader with significant international work and substantial experience in outsourcing, shared services, offshoring and technology. He has successfully completed multiple acquisitions and held numerous board positions. He has operated successfully across a variety of organisations, including NYSE-listed corporations, a Big 4 partnership and venture-backed companies.

Bill led International business units for both the Ceridian Corporation and Fidelity and he was a Partner at EquaTerra, which sold into KPMG for $102 million. He was also an investor and Chief Operating Officer for High Street Partners, acquired by HG Capital in 2014. Currently, he is an investor in and advisor to eNate (Business Process Management software) and Just Accounts.

 
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