HEROES4HIRE – AN ARMED FORCE WITH A HANDY DIFFERENCE!
New business trains upto 12 ex-servicemen and women (veterans) at a time with handy man skills
A Cheshire-based former RAF (Aerospace Systems Operator) is creating his own army of fully qualified handymen and women sourced entirely from ex-armed forces personnel!
Heroes4Hire-Handymen launched recently by Nigel J. Blanchard, from Winsford, involves the training and re-skilling of former soldiers, sailors, airmen (and women) with a full complement of property maintenance skills and then setting them up with a full employment career, complete with a smart uniform, mobile phone and fully-equipped, branded van!
Nigel, who joined the RAF aged just 16 in 1979 and has worked extensively within the property sector since leaving in 1990, is funding all of the training and Operations.
Nigel, 53, explained: ”Just over two years ago I identified an opportunity to supply handyman and maintenance services on a more formal and professional basis.
Two years of hard work later and Heroes4Hire-Handymen was born.
“It draws on and allows the public to access the discipline, teamwork, dependability and integrity of individuals who served their country and offers each veteran the opportunity to develop their own skills and business acumen.
“Each veteran will be fully employed by my company with salary, pension and NI contributions, tools and fully-serviced vans. Each veteran undergoes a 32 day, residential (Reaseheath College, Nantwich), fully funded and comprehensive training course as part of a group of 12,” added Nigel, who is planning on having 12 new recruits ‘graduate’ every six weeks over a 4-year period.
Nigel has already negotiated and agreed Commercial Terms for maintenance contracts with Countrywide Group, the UK’s largest chain of Estate Agents and is in negotiations with several other National firms property companies.
Nigel continued: “I’m in further talks in supplying handymen/women to several national house builders and facility management companies.
“I’ve also negotiated and agreed terms with Northgate Vehicle Rental Vodafone and Screwfix who are assisting us with vans, phones and tools respectively,” he added.
The first veterans graduated on Friday, March 31, becoming fully employed by Heroes4Hire–Handymen and are currently operating in the Greater Manchester area. The second 12 veterans, who graduate on May 26, are due to cover Merseyside, Lancashire and Warrington as part of an agreed national roll-out plan.
A special Graduation Ceremony was held at Reaseheath College with the first 12 recruits being presented with their certificates by Antoinette Sandbach, MP for Eddisbury.
At a further ceremony held on April 3, at Heroes3Hire-Handymen offices at The Genesis Centre, Warrington, the veterans were presented with the keys to their new vehicles by the Mayor of Warrington, Cllr Faisal Rashid.
For more information, please visit www.h4h-handymen.co.uk
