Biscom goes International; Join U.S. Human Services Company

Biscom Resource Management Ltd, the Midlandsí recruitment and training provider, has been acquired by the NASDAQ-listed ResCare Inc, based in Louisville, Kentucky. ResCareís acquisition of Biscom is part of its plans to expand into the European Union. The Biscom identity will be retained.

Currently Biscom operates from six locations in the Midlands with its headquarters in central Birmingham. It employs more than 200 staff.

Biscom was established in 1992 and every year helps thousands of people to acquire new skills through tailor-made training programmes, enabling them to re-enter the job market. The company has major ongoing contracts with Job Centre Plus and the Learning and Skills Council.

With around 42,000 staff, ResCare Inc is the largest private provider of home care to the elderly and those with disabilities in the United States. It also offers residential and support services and provides education, vocational training and job placements for people of all ages and skill levels.

Kate Edwards, Founder and Managing Director of Biscom, commented: ìResCare is an organisation which shares Biscomís vision of providing quality training which meets the needs of learners, partners and employers in a friendly, supportive and exciting environment. The excellent synergy between the two organisations, and a shared commitment to growth through the provision of market-leading recruitment and training services, provide a foundation on which to build for the future.

ìThe deal will safeguard the jobs of our 200-plus dedicated staff, while the planned growth will create hundreds of new jobs around the UK and in Europe. It is a very exciting time for everyone involved in the organisation.î

Ralph G. Gronefeld, Jr., ResCare president and chief executive officer, said, The Biscom acquisition provides ResCare further expansion into the European Union and complements our recent majority purchase of the Maatwerk Groep, BV, a Netherlands company with locations in the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany. These two acquisitions extend ResCare's core competencies into new territory for us, at a time when the European Union is expected to spend more than Ä140 billion annually on training and employment programmes for its citizens. It is an exciting time as we look forward to more growth opportunities internationally.