Three young workers first given the chance to find employment through a government support scheme are revelling in their roles at our Oldham and Sheffield sites.
We first featured Abdul Abdallah and Matthew Mills, who are both based at Oldham, and Richard Weston, who works at our Sheffield trade counter and warehouse, last autumn when they were rewarded with full time, permanent jobs for their commitment and dedication after first joining us on work placements.
All three were part of the former Kickstarter scheme, which provided government funding to support placements for 16 to 24-year-olds at risk of long-term unemployment but keen to gain experience, skills and an income.
Dan Mounsey, our Marketing and Business Development Director, says: "These were three solid investments in youth when we first made them full time and permanent late last year, and it's really paid off. It's been a great pleasure to see them develop and get stuck into their roles with the commitment and enthusiasm they have shown."
It's now 15 months since the trio joined us, and they've been speaking about what it means to them to settle into the HPP family.
Abdul, who has become a dad to a baby girl since he was first featured, says he has grown in confidence and has his sights set on broadening his experience and skills.
He adds: "Since day one I've always felt welcome and everyone has been so supportive, which has really helped me settle in. If I have any questions, it's easy to ask to find the answers - it's just small things like that that make the difference.
"I'm taking one step at a time, but I'm gaining skills and knowledge from my colleagues and managers all the time and I'm hoping my next step will be training on forklift trucks."
Abdul's comments about confidence were echoed by Matt, who has seen his order processing role expanded to include more departments and helping with damage claims.
He says: "I used to struggle with my confidence but now I am working with more departments I'm having to talk to more people and it's becoming easier to do that. I don't think that would have happened without first getting the chance to the Kickstarter placement.
"This is a great place to work, there are always people to talk to, and everyone is friendly and if there's a problem it's easily sorted."
Warehouse operative Richard describes the Sheffield depot as a good place to work, and has expanded his skills to include forklift truck driving.