Bayford Group is laying down foundations of training legacy

Its roots are in the Hunslet area of Leeds, in a coal merchants business set up in 1919 by a group of demobbed soldiers returning from war.

Despite that history, the current team running the group is determined to forge a different kind of legacy – by investing in south Leeds again.

The Bayford Foundation has been set up to create hundreds of job opportunities over the next few years, with training and mentoring for people who are chosen to take part in the scheme.

June Forsyth, who is leading the project, said: “It’s something that relates to us and it requires attention. One of the things we have found is that in the past people have come to us without the skills to do the job that we need them to do, but without giving them the job they’re never going to get those skills.”

The scheme will take on 12 trainees at a time to take part in a 12-week programme training them in the skills needed to work in sales. At the end of that period, they will be guaranteed a job with BE Fuel Cards, part of the Bayford Group, which supplies fuel cards to BP business customers.

The Bayford Foundation will invest up to £5,000 to put each candidate through the programme, which will not only earn them an NVQ Level 4 qualification but will also see them paid while they are being trained. At the end of that process they will become employees, earning £16,000 and getting all the benefits their colleagues have.

However, in order to reach that point, the candidates have to prove they are passionate about a career in sales in a process which has been described as a cross between The X Factor and The Apprentice.

“There’s an assessment week of three to four days – it’s very similar to The X Factor with a boot camp in between to give people a chance to try it before they commit to the training programme,” said Ms Forsyth.

“For part of it, they will be on the phones creating leads for the existing team. It’s to give people an idea as to what the training is about.”

The group will then be whittled down to 12 trainees who will go on to complete the full 12-week course, before becoming permanent members of staff. The next group of 12 will then begin the training process.

Unlike most apprenticeships and training programmes, the Bayford Foundation is not aiming just at school leavers. Ms Forsyth said the company is keen to hear from people looking to change direction later in life, or older people who have been made redundant and are struggling to find work elsewhere because they do not have relevant experience.

The company already has a record for employing people who lack sales experience but who show they have a talent for the job.

“We have a lady working with us who had worked for years serving food and she chanced her arm and gave us a call,” said Ms Forsyth.

“She had never worked in sales but now she’s one of our star performers. She’s a real advocate for what we’re doing.”

The company has already got support from numerous community leaders and businesses, including Eversheds, Emerging Real Estate, and business continuity and information security specialist Agenci Information Security (AIS). Some of them volunteered to act as mentors to the recruits, while others offered to look for potential trainees for the scheme.

The links with other businesses may prove fruitful in other ways in the future, too. “We desperately want all 12 to complete the programme, but we have to be realistic,” said Ms Forsyth.

“If it’s not for them, but they have found something else about themselves that might benefit one of our business partners, we can speak to them about how they might work together instead.”

Although the main result of the programme will be a new skilled and passionate workforce for BE Fuel Cards, there is also a more long-term intention in the plan.

“The benefit to our business is working in the local community,” said Ms Forsyth. “It’s about giving back as well.

“We want to have a legacy.”

How recruitment process works

THE Bayford Foundation has set up a recruitment process to find the right candidates for its scheme.

The first stage will be an open ‘audition, when anyone interested is invited to take part in informal workshops to find out more about a career in sales.

That will take place at the Hunslet Club in Hillidge Road, Leeds, on Saturday, July 6 from 2-5pm – and family members are also welcome to take part in activities throughout the afternoon.

The next step will be a one-to-one interview when the candidates will be assessed to see if they understand what will be expected of them and whether they are serious about a job with the company. The boot camp should begin later in July.