Sanctuary Personnel is a recruitment agency employing over 200 people at their office in central Ipswich. They’re one of Suffolk’s largest employers, and the umbrella company for the specialist recruitment brands Sanctuary Social Care, Sanctuary Health and Sanctuary Criminal Justice.
Sanctuary Personnel operate within the health, social care and criminal justice sectors and provide staff to local authorities, the NHS, and private and third sector organisations throughout the UK.
We spoke to Marketing Director, Andrew Pirie, to find out why Sanctuary Personnel is a great place to start or develop your career, and why he believes it's one of the best places to work in Ipswich.
A fantastic location
Commuting from Ipswich to London, Cambridge or Norwich can be expensive and adds time onto your working day. Save yourself a commute and develop your career right on your doorstep. Sanctuary Personnel is easily accessible via car, train, bus or bike. It's located a 10-15 minute walk from Ipswich railway station and there are bus stops just a few minutes' walk away.
Support from the moment you step foot in the door
Sanctuary Personnel pride themselves on being a positive, encouraging place to work. Andrew said: "We have a strong, supportive culture at Sanctuary. We acknowledge and reward our employees' efforts. Instead of focusing on growing our employees' skills to match the company's needs, we look for ways to grow the company based on our employees' passions."
At Sanctuary Personnel there are various departments you can work in such as sales, recruitment, business administration, finance, marketing, IT and HR. Andrew explained: "The qualifications needed are dependent on the role. To work in finance, you would need a recognised finance or accountancy qualification. If you wanted to join our sales team, we would be looking for proven experience within a sales environment, however, apprentices will have the opportunity to gain the necessary experience and qualifications to grow into these roles over time."
A place where progression is encouraged
No degree? No problem. You don't need to have a degree to start a career at Sanctuary Personnel. You can apply for a role after finishing your A-levels or GCSEs. Andrew told us: "For apprenticeships we tend to focus more on the person and their drive and determination to succeed, rather than their exam results. Over the last 12 years or so we have been a huge supporter of apprenticeships. We offer a genuine career path for school or college leavers within the business and beyond. Hundreds of young people have completed an apprenticeship here and been kept on or gone on to have successful careers elsewhere."
He added: "For apprentices who join Sanctuary, it's very much a two-way learning curve. You'll get to work on a variety of general business tasks, which not only helps us identify your strengths, but also allows us to work out what you enjoy doing most."
Dan Allard, Director of Sanctuary Health, started as an apprentice in 2008. He said: "Within 6 months of joining the company I had been promoted from an apprentice to a recruitment consultant. From day one I had excellent training from the team manager and the sales team."
Dan isn't an exception; serious career progression is available for anyone with the right skills and determination. Sanctuary Personnel has invested heavily into the development of their apprenticeship academy, creating careers for hundreds of local young people. Over half of their employees are either a current or former apprentice. For a more in-depth look the benefits of working there, take a look at 6 reasons to start your career at Sanctuary Personnel.
You'll be placed into a role that suits you
Sanctuary Personnel is proactive in assessing whether a role is suitable for you and if it isn't, they will encourage and support you to transition into one that is; whether you join as an apprentice or in a more experienced role.
To view Sanctuary Personnel's internal vacancies, visit sanctuarypersonnel.com/jobs/internal or give them a call on 01473 283 503.
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