Regular forces employment association helps Thomson Prometric save over 25,000

Thomson Prometric, the global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services, and part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC), today announced that it has saved over 25,000 in recruitment fees through using the services of the Regular Forces Employment Association (RFEA) in Manchester.

The RFEA, a not-for-profit organisation, provides successful resettlement services to those leaving the Armed Forces and a free employment service for organisations wishing to hire highly skilled, responsive employees. The charity has filled 27 Test Centre Administration (TCA) positions at a number of Thomson Prometric’s testing centres across the UK with highly skilled ex-Forces men and women.

The RFEA is able to offer its employment services free of charge, as it is part of a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and Right Management Consultants.

However, as an acknowledgement of thanks for its services, Simon Howarth, General Manager at Thomson Prometric, is presenting Billy Boyd, the local RFEA Employment Consultant, with a 1000 donation to the RFEA’s charitable funds. The cheque presentation is being made at Thomson Prometric’s offices at Salford Quays in Manchester today.

Finding employees with the right kind of skills, motivation and enthusiasm we need to ensure Thomson Prometric continues to provide an excellent level of service is absolutely critical, yet the fees charged by recruitment agencies can make sourcing employees a costly process, commented Simon Howarth, General Manager at Thomson Prometric.

This is why we chose to work with the RFEA as the organisation offers very high quality people at no cost.

The employees the RFEA found for us demonstrate excellent professionalism, reliability and punctuality which are vital skills for the roles they have filled as Test Centre Administrators. We are very pleased to provide employment opportunities for people leaving the forces and certainly intend to use the RFEA again.

In order to find the right people for the job openings at Thomson Prometric, the RFEA searched its UK database of thousands of candidates. The positions were filled by Senior Non-Commissioned Officers.

Responsibilities will include the supervision of test candidates to ensure the efficient invigilation and execution of tests, and involvement in all aspects of day-to-day operation. The RFEA offer a fantastic service, and I’m really pleased with the new position they have found me, commented Angela Bradley at Thomson Prometric in Scotland.

I couldn’t believe the speed at which things were arranged and the effort the RFEA took to ensure that the candidates met the exact needs of Thomson Prometric. The feedback from both new employees and Thomson Prometric has been extremely positive.

Part of the instruction in the Armed Forces focuses on EDIP which stands for Explanation, Demonstration, Imitation and Practice, commented Billy Boyd at the RFEA. This helps to build very reliable, self-disciplined, and excellent customer facing people.

The RFEA prides itself on being able to offer highly motivated, results driven individuals who can bring businesses a wide range of transferable skills, in particular teamwork, leadership, communication and organisation skills. We are delighted to have helped Thomson Prometric fill so many positions, and we’re very grateful for the donation the company has made to our funds.

Next year the RFEA celebrates its 120th anniversary of helping ex-Service personnel to find employment throughout the UK. The 1000 received from Thomson Prometric will be used to help the RFEA promote itself to other organisations.

About the Regular Forces Employment Association (RFEA)
The Regular Forces Employment Association (RFEA) offers a high quality, no cost recruitment service for organisations seeking the best.

The RFEA is the employment arm of the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), a partnership between Right Management Consultants and the Ministry of Defence to provide successful resettlement services to those leaving the Armed Forces, and an intermediary service for employers wishing to hire highly skilled, responsive employees.

With a network of 30 branches throughout the UK, the RFEA has access to thousands of Service leavers. These include senior executives, managerial, technical, supervisory staff or skilled operatives, with trades, qualifications and expertise gained in the Armed Forces. The Partnership with the Ministry of Defence means that the RFEA service can be provided to employers completely free of charge.