The business is the transactional and omnichannel marketing wing of Paragon Group.
It has also become the first strategic partner for the Homeserve Foundation, the not-for-profit organisation of Homeserve PLC, which aims to support skills by helping to create 25,000 apprentices in the UK by 2023.
Paragon CC’s new Ignite programme was initially trialled at its Dagenham site, and after being piloted over the past 12 months it will now be rolled out across its UK production facilities.
The division already has 60 apprentices across its operations. The Ignite scheme will consolidate all of its on-the-job training activities.
Mason Kane, one of the first apprentices on Paragon CC's new Ignite scheme
Alison Jackson, head of HR at Paragon CC’s Transactional & Service operations, commented: “As a business we are extremely pleased to see apprentices are grabbing the opportunities presented to them with both hands, and enjoying considerable success by advancing along their career paths with extra training to get the certifications needed to progress within the last year.”
Paragon CC also has an Inclusion Council, which aims to attract people “within minority and low social mobility groups who might not consider communications as a career “.
Other frameworks include the Young Paragon Network, aimed at encouraging talented individuals from all Paragon sites internationally “to work collaboratively to tackle business challenges”. In addition the Quantum Leadership Group brings together senior leaders to help facilitate positive change at the business.
Yesterday (10 February), Paragon CC representatives joined HomeServe Foundation director Helen Booth in the House of Lords, as the foundation presented the findings of its first quarterly research report into UK domestic trades skills to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Apprenticeships.
Ignite apprentices undertake an initial ten-week rotation where they work across different production areas including digital print, goods in, machine enclosing and general administration roles, prior to embarking on the multi-year programme.
Paragon CC also said it was pleased to be bucking the trend, after educational charity The Sutton Trust reported that a huge number of employers had been forced to abandon on-the-job training because of the crisis caused by Covid-19.
