If you’re not yet aware of the fresh faced digital skills company Future Skills Vision, or founder Holly Thompson, it’s likely you will be soon, as they continue to take the North East business sector by storm and embark on an ambitious expansion strategy to not only scale up the business, but progress their mission to upskill the UK digital workforce.
Founded only 18 months ago, their journey to-date has been quite phenomenal – we caught up with Founder Holly to find out what she has in store for the next 18 months, and how you can get involved.
A bit of background
The North East based operation focussing on consultancy and training, providing businesses with real practical support and advice around educational initiatives and creating an effective talent pipeline, has doubled in size over the last 6 months – the good news for the rest of the UK is that the team now plan on expanding into other regions during 2018. With over 50 clients in the North East covering Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and Teesside; from SME’s, to corporates and education providers, FSV will be providing other regions with the same support, at a local level.
The team
The company have a core team of ten at their Newcastle based HQ and work with a wider team of associates to deliver their tailored and personalised services to its clients. FSV’s Managing Director, Holly Thompson is now driving their national expansion following successfully securing new clients across Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield.
“Following our success in the North East, the North West is a natural progression for us. We intend to build on our localised ethos within each of these key areas by establishing a base and employing local people to support our clients most effectively, as these are the people who fully understand the eco-system that operates within each area – this is how our team really add value.
Our clients are based predominantly within the Digital & technology sector due to the significant skills shortages and the nature of the roles required. This gives us the opportunity to work creatively with our clients, providing the most innovative solutions to the skills recruitment & issues they face”.
Recruitment
FSV are actively recruiting in Leeds, Manchester, Middlesbrough and Newcastle, with a focus on employing a diverse range of roles – including opportunities for apprenticeships, interns, graduates and experienced individuals.
“Finding the right people is critical to our success in other regions – we are looking for people who are passionate about what we do and share our ethos and ambitions to make a difference to skills within the UK. This is an exciting time to join a fast-growing business, presenting amazing opportunities for the right people”.
The next quarter of 2018 is all about making a positive impact on the digital skills workforce, with some exciting new developments coming on board to expand our services, so watch this space!
Celebrating successes
Recently FSV won the regional (North East) Start up Business of the Year Award at the FSB Awards and have now been shortlisted for the National Final taking place in London in May, which is set to be a fantastic occasion. The team are extremely proud of their achievements so far and are excited to look ahead to what the rest of 2018 has in store for the business and its clients.
Claire Swift, Project Manager at FSV told us what’s it’s like to work for a growing business: “It’s great, very busy at times, but very enjoyable, no two days are the same, which is just up my street. I get a chance to be involved with projects and tasks across the business and meet a variety of great people and customers.”
Jake Solomon, Digital Marketing Apprentice shared his thoughts on his role and what he has learned so far: “Future skills vision is an excellent business to work for! With this being a new business, we are doing a range of activities, which is good as it means there is lots of work to be done. There are different pathways that the business can take, which makes what the future holds exciting for the business. The working environment is very relaxed, the team getting along great and can have a laugh. I would also say that the business is very flexible around careers, there is scope for employees to take their job roles along different routes, which can be beneficial for both life experience and knowledge!”
Learnings so far…
A question young and growing companies often reflect on is, what have they learned following their first year or two in business? Holly tells us, ‘’Key to any business success is building the right team and working together towards a common vision and purpose. We believe that has been key to our growth journey so far and the timing of appointments have also been critical’’.
Recently Holly appointed Aimee Palin as Junior Business Consultant (formerly completed a work placement with FSV) to support our drive towards excellent customer service, Cesare Rizzo, as Senior Consultant (formerly working for the business as an associate) and two part time Social Media Assistants will be joining the business from May 2018 to help create more great digital content – Laura Boak & Kate Hewitson.
Partnerships & Events
FSV is built on forging collaborative partnerships and supporting a wide range of local initiatives and events. They are involved in two very exciting events in the next few months, which you can get involved in;
Newcastle Start-up Week 14th to 18th May: Get yourself along and hear MD Holly speak about their journey to date including the challenges she has faced along the way and what motivated her to keep going. Also meet more of Team FSV who will be exhibiting. See www.newcastlestartupweek.com for details.
People Power 6th June 2018, St James’ Park: This free event will give businesses the opportunity to meet with over 40 of the region’s top skills, education and training providers as well as HR and recruitment advisors. A series of 20 seminars and masterclasses throughout the day will provide training and advice on a wide range of business challenges including: Change management, marketing, leadership, communication, presentation skills, recruiting talent, GDPR, customer service, establishing teams… and more. Visit www.peoplepowerevents.co.uk for more information.
FSV will be kicking off the day with a breakfast masterclass that will focus on creating a culture of learning to drive innovation & success.
If you would like to find out more about the services FSV provide, are interested in working with them or applying for any of their current vacancies you can get in touch at: info@futureskillsvision.co.uk, or give them a call on 0191 691 1320
Follow them on twitter @FSV_LTD and check out their website to keep up to date with developments: futureskillsvision.co.uk
