Beyond Organic Skincare

Award-winning Beyond Organic Skin Care company sought to take on an apprentice administrator to cope with growing demand and free up key staff for other tasks.

The Constantine-based firm received comprehensive support from the Cornwall Apprenticeship Agency’s specialist advisors and is delighted with their new team member.

Marianne Tregoning, Managing Director at Beyond Organic Skin Care, said: “We first learnt of the Cornwall Apprenticeship Agency at an event at the Health & Wellbeing Centre in Truro and we have received excellent support all the way through. The agency’s specialist advisor Sam met us and got a good feel for the type of small company that we are and the sort of person we needed that would fit in.

“We had a good response to our apprenticeship vacancy advert. Sam conducted phone interviews to short-list the candidates. He was extremely good at judging who could best suit us and narrowed it down to two.”

Both candidates then attended a trial day and met the team and the unanimous decision was to take on Shanice Maddison, 19, from Falmouth.

Shanice started off with the company on the Cornwall Apprenticeship Agency’s payroll, which is a unique system specifically designed to help small business when there is an element of uncertainty about taking on more staff.

Marianne agreed: “It’s an added cushion while trying to make the most suitable match. It takes the stress out of recruiting and reduces the risks. But we quickly realised that Shanice was going to meet our targets and we would be happy to have her on our payroll.”

The company was founded in 2005 and now exports its products all over the world, with customers as far afield as Japan, Germany and Asia. With clients purchasing thousands of pounds worth of products in a single order, Marianne recognised the need to find a good administrator in order to expand production and free her up to focus on growing the business.

Former Falmouth School pupil Shanice started her administration apprenticeship last September. She said: “I was on job seekers allowance for some time, applying for several jobs a day and thought I would be lucky if I managed to get a job I was interested in. So when I was offered the job at Beyond Organic Skincare I was over the moon.

“I wanted to do this apprenticeship because it relates to my future goal, which is to start my own business. The job is extremely varied and because this is a small company I get to see all aspects of how a business runs.  I’m learning different things from each of my colleagues and like to take notes on things I haven’t quite grasped yet.”

“This job is a great venture for me as not only am I now earning money, I also get to widen my knowledge of the business world and also gain a qualification.”

Marianne added: “Shanice has already learnt a lot and is good at using her initiative. If we continue to expand as we hopefully will, she could ultimately become an administration manager with another apprentice beneath her. We’re also now considering taking on a second apprentice to work in our laboratory.”

 

• Posted: September 21, 2016
• By: Tim Bowerbank