Following the success of last year’s recruitment fair, St James Quarter has partnered with retail and hospitality recruitment service FUSE to provide a new programme of career opportunities for the sector across Scotland.
The recruitment fair will be held on Level 1 at St James Quarter in the unit beside Next from 10:00 – 17:00 on Tuesday 11 October and those interested are encouraged to sign up now.
In 2021, the recruitment fair attracted 300 local applicants attend on the day with 150 successful candidates invited for paid trial shifts and second interviews with many offered a job on the same day. The joint initiative is intended to provide a much needed boost for the local economy by creating new job opportunities across Edinburgh’s retail and hospitality industry.
St James Quarter is on track to sustain the target of 3,000 new job roles for the local economy with an additional 1,500 vacancies set to be created following continual expansion plans within The Quarter and the development of W Hotel. FUSE has already successfully placed 2,000 candidates within The Quarter since its opening.
This year at the recruitment fair, FUSE will be recruiting for 300 vacancies with a variety of positions from Christmas temp seasonal staff through to full and part time roles in a range of levels in retail, restaurant management, customer service and maintenance. Brands from across the Quarter such as Stradivarius, Bonnie and Wild, John Lewis & Partners, Coach, NEOM Organics and Duck & Waffle will all be looking for their newest team members.
In a commitment to support the future of retail in Scotland, St James Quarter and FUSE are continuing to work together to help boost employment in the capital after 62% of those working at The Quarter revealed in a staff survey that their previous job was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving them unemployed and struggling to find work.
Kitti Hovarth, Sales Assistant at Pull & Bear, who found work at St James Quarter through FUSE shares her experience. She said: “During the pandemic, and like many others, I was left unemployed. I was unsure where I wanted to take my career and what opportunities were available to me at such an uncertain time. After finding out about FUSE and the recruitment fair, I was able to land a job at St James Quarter as a Sales Assistant. This opportunity has allowed me to not only gain experience and expand my skillset in customer service and teamwork, but it’s also boosted my confidence and taken a huge worry off my shoulders”
Jennifer Laseen, Hospitality and F&B Director, St James Quarter said: “We are delighted to be working with FUSE again to find the right candidates for some amazing roles we have across the Quarter. The team at St James Quarter are proud to continue to support our team members and nurture new talent and we are encouraging all those who are interested to sign up to the recruitment fair now to avoid any disappointment.”
Niamh Murphy, FUSE Manager, added: “The FUSE team are passionate about supporting St James Quarter and the local Edinburgh communities match employees to the right role within the Quarter.
“Our expert knowledge of the industry allows us to provide a tailored approach to recruitment and continue to support team members and employers with further training, accredited qualifications, and ongoing networking opportunities”
FUSE is a free recruitment support service within Edinburgh, it specialises in retail and hospitality. FUSE is funded through the Growth Accelerator Model (GAM) agreement between St James Quarter, The City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government.
