How an ecosystem of support helped a historic manufacturer recruit for the future

Background

Founded in 1777, Kent Brushes is the oldest brush manufacturer in the world. Combining high-tech processes with traditional techniques, this historic company produces a wide range of products for national and international markets. Over many generations, Kent Brushes has carefully built a reputation for quality and craftsmanship and recently earned its 10th prestigious royal warrant – the first of which dates back to the reign of George III.

The Challenge  

Kent Brushes faced challenges with recruitment and retention, experiencing a higher-than-average turnover among production and warehousing staff. This situation posed concerns for productivity and morale across the company, with experienced employees finding it difficult to pass on their valuable skills. Despite these obstacles, Andy Harris, the Production and Warehouse Manager, discovered a potential solution through an email invitation to a recruitment and retention workshop hosted by Hertfordshire Growth Hub and their partners. Taking the initiative to attend proved pivotal in transforming the company's approach.

The Solution

The region’s business support ecosystem is vast and can be difficult to navigate, so the Growth Hub is well-positioned to help businesses like Kent Brushes find exactly the right support.

At the workshop, Andy Harris met with Step2Skills which is a part of Hertfordshire County Council. Step2Skills focuses on supporting adults with learning or physical disabilities and mental health conditions find work. Importantly, Step2Skills not only links employers with employees but also provides the help companies need to adapt recruitment and training processes and support employees in the workplace.

Andy also connected with the Economic Development Officer at Dacorum Borough Council, which opened up several opportunities directly with the local Job Centre, and with Hertfordshire Opportunities part of Hertfordshire Futures, which helped Kent Brushes create an apprenticeship, find a local apprentice and connect them to a remote woodwork course provided by a college in Darlington. Also, in partnership with the Job Centre and Step2Skills, Andy took part in a job fair that attracted new employees.

The Impact

This powerful blend of tailored support unlocked by the Growth Hub has had a transformative impact on Kent Brushes. Through the new connections Andy made, the company has taken on seven employees in the past year, and he says each one of them works incredibly hard, is highly motivated and is keen to learn.

One has already been promoted to chief sprayer, another is using her art degree to create a line of limited-edition products, and the apprentice is enthusiastically learning their trade at the side of a skilled craftsperson with almost five decades of experience.

Furthermore, the new employees’ determination rubs off on others around them, improving teamwork, morale and the overall culture. In turn, this has had an impact on the company’s bottom line, improving efficiency by more than 10%.

On a more fundamental level, Kent has changed the way it approaches recruitment, becoming a more inclusive employer and received support from Step2Skills in becoming a Disability Confident Level 2 employer. The business also joined the organisation’s Inclusive Employment Forum to help other businesses realise the benefits of employing people who can often be stigmatised or disadvantaged by traditional recruitment methods.

Client quote:

“It’s easy for companies to get stuck in a rut when it comes to recruitment. But there are a lot of highly skilled people out there who will work hard and are determined to succeed if you just give them a chance. By changing the recruitment methods we use, we’ve opened up opportunities to so many people and the benefits to us have been huge. I can’t speak highly enough of the ecosystem of support I’ve had from so many different organisations and I’m grateful to Hertfordshire Growth Hub for connecting us with them.

I believe this is just the start and I can't wait to do more work with the Hertfordshire Growth Hub and work with their account manager to see what other avenues and opportunities they have for us. If it's anything like what we've got already it's going to be fantastic.”

Andy Harris, Production and Warehouse Manager, Kent Brushes