Jobcentre Plus is offering employers in Tyneside the chance to reduce the risk of recruiting the wrong person, by giving them the opportunity to try out a potential employee before offering them a job.

Over the next few weeks, Jobcentre Plus will be contacting employers from across Tyneside to let them know more about work trials, which lets them try out a potential employee, free of charge, for up to 15 days before deciding whether to offer them a job.

“A work trial is a short test period in a real job, and it’s an ideal way to fill a vacancy with minimum risk”, explained Clair Frost, District Marketing Manager for Jobcentre Plus in Northumbria District."

“During the work trial the employee stays on their normal benefits, so there’s no cost to the employer. They get the chance to show their enthusiasm and skills, and the employer gets time to decide whether the person can do the job and fit in with their company. There’s no obligation on either side, so employers really have nothing to lose.”

Jobcentre Plus research carried out last year showed that only 26% of employers had heard of work trials, yet more than 54% thought they were highly relevant to their business. Interest was especially high amongst small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and when a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Directors estimates that it costs £2,500 to recruit a new member of staff, the cost of recruitment mistakes can be especially crippling.

Two employers who have taken advantage of Work Trials to recruit new staff think that it worked really well. Roy Butterworth, Director of Wall and Floor Tiles Ltd, in Newcastle said:

“I used a work trial to recruit my assistant showroom salesman and warehouse manager. Being able to assess an employee before taking them on was very attractive to me. The trial went really well, and I had no hesitation in offering Trevor the job. He’s proved such an asset that I’ve recently been able to leave him in charge of the business while I was away for a short time.”

And David Goodings, Factory Manager with Remploy Ltd in Benton, Newcastle said:

“I had used work trials successfully in the past, but not for a while, so when we needed to recruit, I was happy to give them another try. Our confidence in Andrew and Peter has been rewarded - they have worked hard and are both now considered key members of our workforce.”

Most job vacancies can be offered on a work trial basis, and most unemployed people are eligible to apply for one, although there are some terms and conditions which Jobcentre Plus staff can give advice on.

Employers who would like more information and a free brochure on work trials can call Jobcentre Plus’s District Marketing Team in Northumberland on 0191 2038512 or 01670 395450.