Central & SwiftSwitch: A Tale of Two Companies

As the growth of SwiftSwitch has been so great, so has the development of Central’s involvement with this remarkable company.

When SwiftSwitch opened its Leeds operation in 2021, Central Training Manager Zoe Trull found her skills in high demand. Having joined Central in 2020 working in and around Essex, Zoe soon found that there was a massive need for her skills in Leeds.

With SwiftSwitch working with an increasing number of young learners, Zoe found herself travelling regularly to Leeds to train in vital areas such as customer service and, overall, how to work as part of an office-based team. Zoe explained: “Many of the young people I train have never had a job or have been in a work position, so we start right from the beginning in terms of how to work for an employer in every sense, from turning up on time and being prepared to communicating with a team.”

The success of Zoe’s training plan means most trainees quickly adapt to their role within the company and can bring the skills they use into the workplace quickly so are well equipped to meet the demands of the role. And as their confidence progresses so does their performance. Having strong self-belief is at the core of what Zoe teaches her learners. She added: “They keep a logbook for the 14-week training period noting everything down on a regular basis. This means they can look back whenever they want to see just how far they have come and that is extremely motivating.”

For Zoe the success of the programme with SwiftSwitch meant a full time move to Leeds and, fortunately, she loves the city and her job! Working closely with Farhan, Zoe is often thrilled by the success of the individuals she trains. Seeing how far they have come after their training course is very rewarding. And while many trainees enjoy successful careers with

SwiftSwitch, Zoe continues to be amazed by the diversity of roles others go on to embrace. She said: “Recently we had a trainee leave to take on an apprenticeship in radiology and another trainee has just applied to do a degree-based apprenticeship with HSBC in wealth management!”

The partnership between Central and SwiftSwitch continues to provide training in skills that can make a fundamental difference in the life and careers of young people, and for Central’s Chairman, Martin Kolton MBE, it is something of a match made in heaven. He said: “What we have seen with this programme is how when we work with employers and companies with real vision, and a dedication to getting the best out of young learners, great results can be achieved.”