A young entrepreneur is shaking up the recruitment industry with a new technology platform designed to act as the Uber of employment, thanks to help from TEDCO Business Support.
Trusted-People.com has seen hundreds of users upload their profile to the website following launch, as jobseekers look to capitalise on the website’s ability to match people with temporary and permanent jobs based on availability, price and skills.
Jack Wheldon, 26, from Darlington came up with the idea after finding it difficult to source staff when working as a project manager for a construction firm.
Jack Wheldon says, “When you are trying to recruit, finding skilled people to suit certain roles at short notice can be very difficult. Sites like CheckaTrade or Linkedin are useful but when I was working in construction, I would waste hundreds of working hours searching for and interviewing potential staff only for pricing or availability to prove a stumbling block at the very last moment.
“This is where I actually came up with the idea for Trusted-People. A platform that allows employers to filter potential staff by key metrics such as availability to work, price and skills and book a job there and then. For individuals, it means that there is a way to source work based around personal availability. It offers a great way to find temporary work or to fill spare hours around other commitments when looking for additional revenue.
“The key is transparency for employers and flexibility for employees. Like Uber for job-seekers essentially by using technology to fill an immediate staffing requirement.”
Trusted-people is still in the early days of development with users currently being onboarded ready to seek work opportunities. Launched in June 2022, the platform will be expanded in the coming weeks to improve functionality across the search and filter sections to suit both employers and potential employees seeking to source work opportunities from across a wide range of sectors.
Jack continues, “One of the reasons Trusted-people works is that it isn’t sector specific in any way. Our goal is always transparency and visibility, so our user profiles offer as much information to employers as possible – even down to hourly wage expectations. From retail to construction to hospitality, it has real potential to disrupt the way in which people traditionally seek temporary opportunities in the workplace.”
Jack worked with business advisor Mark Johnston from TEDCO Business Support to help set up and launch Trusted-People. Mark has worked with Jack for quite some time in a business support capacity and is credited by Jack as being the advisor who has helped him every step of the way as he worked to get the business off the ground.
Jack states, “Setting up a business can be quiet a lonely place and there are lots of opportunities to second guess key decisions that you’re making daily. Mark and I have worked together for a long time and for me, his advice and guidance has been an invaluable part of getting Trusted-People to where it is today. He offers very honest feedback. Something I really needed in this process and I’m grateful for his contribution to the business.”
Jack is now moving on to the post-launch phase of Trusted-People to broaden the functionality of the platform and engage more directly with users as registrations continue to soar.
Mark Johnston, business advisor at TEDCO Business Support commented: “Jack is a natural entrepreneur and is brimming with ideas that are rooted in meeting genuine customer needs. With Trusted-People, the idea was borne out of frustrations he himself experienced in trying to source staff and he has worked tirelessly to create a platform designed to solve this problem. With so many issues currently in filling short and long-term vacancies, Trusted-people has come at the perfect time for many in the industry and I wish Jack the very best in making this business a success.”
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