Jill Bamford, ADAS Group HR Director explains how ADAS has successfully recruited new staff and the approaches we have adopted.
New staff are vital to a successful business. In the past 24 months ADAS has recruited 25 new graduates through our Graduate Scheme to areas including land management, GIS, modelling, sustainability, waste, agriculture, farming systems, livestock, crop physiology, soils and hydrology.
We are now recruiting for graduates to start in autumn 2012:
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Our approach to recruiting has changed to reflect the need to attract not only suitably qualified science graduates but also those with the right communication and interpersonal skills. Candidates successful at the initial technical interview attend a two day Assessment Centre where we test a range of non-technical skills focusing on communication, attitude and adaptability.
The other key aspect of our graduate recruitment is that those who are successful join our specifically designed two-year Graduate Training Programme. This programme with on-the-job training and mentoring provides the graduates with an understanding of the commercial environment as well as the technical and wider communication and interpersonal skills required to be an effective consultant.
“Since joining the Graduate Scheme I have been involved in a variety of projects. The combination of formal and on the job training enables me to continuously develop my knowledge and skills whilst working with experienced and specialist colleagues” says ADAS Catchment Monitoring Graduate, Sarah Smith.
Working with the new recruits is very rewarding and they provide fresh impetus and challenge to those working around and with them. We have had very positive feedback from the rest of the business and clients on the graduates we have recruited. We gather regular feedback from the graduates and this has been very positive, in particular about the quality of the development programme, the range of activities they are involved in and how helpful colleagues are.
Steven Tompkins, a Farming Systems Graduate, comments: “The Graduate Scheme has allowed me to get fully involved in the day to day roles and responsibilities of being an ADAS consultant. Those I work with have provided me with a great platform for learning and personal development through giving me opportunities to develop and show my capability”.
We will continue to invest in new staff and we plan to recruit a further ten graduates this year as this is key to ensuring our business grows and prospers.
For more information please contact Lisa Hallington on 01623 844331 or email graduate.recruitment@adas.co.uk.