Pacifica Group, the leading UK domestic energy and appliance services provider, has recruited 10 young people and has plans to take on another 59 staff aged 16-24 through the Government’s £2bn Kickstart Scheme.

The national home services company, which undertakes 310,000 appliance repair home visits every year, is welcoming the new recruits with the support of MINT Business Club, a government-approved gateway provider for the scheme.

Pacifica, which has its head office in Houghton Le Spring, has taken on Kickstarters for roles including administrator, eco agent, engineer van stock assistant, trainee admin assistant, service desk office juniors, site maintenance operative, trainee sales agent and labourer.

It will also be recruiting a compliance support operator, someone to work in local authority partnerships and a trainee insulation installer in the near future.

Fifty further roles are being sanction and approved for advertising with Pacifica, one of a number of North East businesses to benefit from MINT Business Club’s access to high-quality fully funded six-month work placements for young people aged 16-24.

MINT, which was set up by Consett ex-teacher Nicola Jayne Little just over three years ago, is supporting young people who are on Universal Credit and are deemed to be at risk of long-term unemployment, in getting jobs like those at Pacifica.

Kevin Brown, CEO of Pacifica Group, said: “We are really pleased that MINT has provided us with the excellent support needed to welcome these promising young people to our company, at what is a particularly busy time for the business.

“Thanks in part to new Government legislation to tackle electrical waste by ensuring appliances are made to last longer and homeowners are encouraged to fix appliances rather than replace them, we need to train and recruit more people.

“The Government’s Kickstart Scheme and the help and support from MINT have provided us with the perfect opportunity to take on and train new recruits with ease - and we hope they will go on to have a long career with us.”

Pacifica Group is one of the UK’s largest providers of home services, employing around 300 engineers across the country. It recently welcomed the announcement from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, that white goods will be guaranteed to last longer, with appliance parts available for up to ten years.

New models will also have to be built with parts that can be repaired with the use of commonly available tools, tackling premature obsolescence and reducing the number of items being sent to landfill, with Pacifica increasing its recruitment and training of appliance engineers to support the new legislation.

Nicola Jayne Little, owner of MINT Business Club, said: “We’re very excited to offer businesses like Pacifica the opportunity to grow, with those much-needed extra employees through the support of government funding.

“MINT does all the paperwork and finds the ideal Kickstarter to match the needs of the business. We offer practical support to the employer throughout the placement, as well as high-quality vocational training to the Kickstarter.”

For more information, visit www.mintbusinessclub.co.uk/kickstart-gateway

ENDS

NEWS RELEASE: ISSUED ON BEHALF OF PACIFICA GROUP

For further information contact Jamie Collis 01325 363436

Editors’ Notes:

Pacifica Group is one of the UK’s largest providers of home services, including appliance and heating systems repair, inspection and maintenance, and product warranty solutions. It handles in excess of 6,000 jobs per week and comprises of Pacifica Home Services, Pacifica Appliance Services and UK Warranty.

www.pacificagroup.co.uk