Ultimate Products marks a decade of graduate recruitment success

Oldham-based Ultimate Products, the owner of a number of leading homeware brands, including Salter and Beldray, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the launch of its hugely successful Graduate Development Scheme.

Since its launch ten years ago, the scheme has gone from strength-to-strength, with 52% of the Group’s UK workforce (174 employees) having completed, or currently completing, it.

The programme, which is one of the largest in the North-West, welcomed its first graduates in 2012 and has now  given jobs to over 170 university leavers.

Graduate recruits have an outstanding opportunity to progress quickly through the business, as demonstrated by the more than 50 scheme alumni holding a ‘senior’ or ‘head of department’ position at Ultimate Products.

Two such alumni are Ecommerce Director, Becki Beesley, and the Group’s Trading Director, Katie Maxwell, who also sits on the Group’s Operating Board.

The anniversary follows the publication of Ultimate Products’ inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy report earlier this month which, as part of efforts to support the local community, saw the Group commit to 60% of its UK workforce being recruited from the local community by 2030, compared to the current figure of 47.2%.

Increasing diversity and inclusion are also central pillars of the ESG strategy, which has seen the Group commit to ambitious gender and ethnicity goals.

By 2030, for example, the Group is aiming for 20% of its leadership roles to be entirely gender balanced, with 20% of its overall UK workforce made up of ethnic minorities.

By 2025, the aim is that 40% of the Group’s Board of Directors will be women. 

Ultimate Products’ annual engagement survey acts as a voice for its employees and helps it to understand colleague needs.

The Group takes a proactive approach in implementing initiatives requested by colleagues as part of the survey process, and this has contributed to impressive employee retention rates.

The most recent survey results revealed that 94% of Ultimate Products colleagues enjoy their job, while 95% find working at the company interesting and challenging.

Moreover, 88% of employees across the Group saw themselves as having a long-term career at the company and 84% would recommend the company as a great place to work.

Anyone interested in applying for a role at Ultimate Products should visit: careers.upgs.com/jobs

Simon Showman, UP's Chief Executive Officer, said: "Investing in young people in our local community has been central to our success over the years.

"We provide our graduates with unrivalled learning experiences and extensive industry exposure, including with many of the UK and Europe’s largest retailers.

"The large number of graduate scheme alumni who now work in senior roles is testament to the quality of training provided and goes to show that graduates in Oldham needn’t leave the area to have access to fulfilling and attractive post-university career opportunities.

"The graduate scheme continues to grow, and following our updated ESG strategy, its future cohort will draw even more on local talent, while also being more diverse and gender balanced.

Becki, Ecommerce Director and Graduate Scheme alumnus, added: “I joined Ultimate Products eight years ago on the Graduate Development Scheme, and in that time I’ve developed massively as a person.

"My problem-solving and relationship management skills have markedly improved, and I’ve also gained a wealth of industry experience.

"As head of online, I was proud to lead the expansion of the Online team from four to 38 people, over 30 of whom have completed, or are currently completing, the programme. 

"When I began my graduate journey in 2014, I had never expected to work within ecommerce, but the programme allowed me to apply the skills from my degree to find exactly where I performed best.

"I was delighted to be promoted to ecommerce director earlier this year, and am immensely proud to be living proof of where hard work and the right attitude can get you at Ultimate Products.”

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