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Leeds could get 1,000 'call centre' jobs
BETWEEN 300 and 1,000 jobs could be created in Leeds – in a "virtual call centre".
US-based company Arise Virtual Solutions plans to take on at least 1,000 workers in the UK this year and wants at least 300 to be in Leeds.
But rather than travelling to and from a call centre each day they will be working in their own homes and choosing their hours.
The Florida-based firm has won a contract with two UK businesses and is keen to make use of Leeds's customer service experience.
John Riordan, vice-president of Arise International, said it was looking for at least 1,000 new workers across the UK but there was an immediate need for 300 in Leeds.
He added: "If we got them all in Leeds we would take them all."
He said Leeds was targeted because of the strong customer service culture in the North and added: "There's a trustworthy nature to the northern accent. That's been tapped into by the call-centre industry for many years and it's an accent that travels well throughout the UK."
Arise certified professionals provide services from home in sales, technical support and customer service, answering calls, e-mails and providing interactive chat services on behalf of brands.
Arise clients include Interval Leisure Group and Shop Direct Group, whose brands include Great Universal and Littlewoods.
Mr Riordan said working from home provided a cost-effective alternative to traditional call centres and was particularly appealing at a time when potential clients were looking for cheaper solutions and more people were looking for jobs.
Home workers need a computer, broadband and separate business phone line and must successfully undergo around 60 hours of training at home and pass background checks. They then operate as individual businesses, working a minimum 15 hours a week but with the option to work as many as they choose – earning around 6.50 to 9 an hour.
Mr Riordan said Arise already had around 9,000 people working for it in the US, plus several hundred in the UK.
Stephen Alambritis, from the Federation of Small Businesses, urged anyone considering it to ensure an accountant examined the proposals and their bank manager was happy.
Arise is holding a seminar about its job opportunities on April 15 at the Marriott Hotel, Leeds.
The YEP has launched a new campaign to Keep Leeds Working and on Wednesday April 22 is publishing a special jobs supplement offering advice to those looking for work, plus hundreds of job opportunities.
1,200 apply for 36 jobs
A STAGGERING 1,200 people have been competing for 36 jobs at a new store in Pudsey.
Applicants had a 30-1 chance of getting a job at the new Go Outdoors store at the former Tradex site, on New Street, off Bradford Road.
There were around six times more applications for the new Pudsey store than in 2004 when the first branch opened in Coventry with only a couple of hundred competing for work.
Go Outdoors manager Carl Abbott said: "The demand for jobs at Go Outdoors has been incredible. We were hoping for a healthy interest in our new store but this has exceeded all our expectations.."
These figures are a stark reminder of the number of job seekers in Leeds who are out-numbering vacancies in job centres across the city.
In February there were 21,558 people in Leeds claiming Job Seekers Allowance which makes up 4.3 per cent of the resident working age population of the city.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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