Award winning specialist tractor and grounds maintenance machinery dealer GGM Groundscare has announced it has expanding its team with the appointment of two new service engineers both recruited during the lockdown and created positions for three NEW apprenticeships, in a bid to support continued business growth and offer job opportunities in both Colne and Haydock. 

The group employs 39 staff across two sites, and as the nation has suffered the impact of the Coronavirus crisis, Managing Director Chris Gibson wanted to continue his commitment to customer support and offer jobs opportunities in line with its long-term business growth strategy. 

Andy Crabtree and Chris Sumner, [pictured] have both joined the business as field service engineers based at the Haydock depot to support the increasing level of business from the site and both bring a wealth of valuable experience to the company. 

GGM Groundscare are also currently recruiting for three new apprentices to help three young local people into a new career. This follows the Government’s announcement of an “apprentice bonus scheme”, when from August to January, any firm that hires a new young apprentice aged 16 to 24 will receive a £2,000 grant, while those that hire new apprentices aged 25 and over will be paid £1,500. 

Last year, the company become an accredited Living Wage Employer and is committed to ensuring all its staff receive the training and development they need to develop their skills so they can progress through the business.  

Managing Director Chris Gibson explains more: 

“While many businesses have struggled hugely over the lockdown period, at GGM  we’ve managed to maintain a steady flow of business, thanks to the hard work of our dedicated team, particularly for our customers in local authority grounds, sports clubs and hospitals. We decided to recruit for these roles to help the local job market, as well as to facilitate business growth. It’s particularly important to us to support the next generation and we welcome the government’s new apprentice scheme.” 

GGM has always had a key focus on employee engagement, corporate social responsibility and customer service and holds the ISO9001 quality standard and is rated as a Gold service dealer by tractor manufacturer Kubota, a standard which it has held for a number of years. It has also committed to a second year’s sponsorship of Greenfingers, a charity which builds therapeutic gardens for children’s hospices. Earlier this month, Chris, and members of the GGM team completed a socially distanced fundraising bike ride and walk to raise over £4000 for Greenfingers as well as supporting local charities St John’s Hospice Lancaster and Pendleside Hospice in Burnley. 

The company has spent time over the lockdown period enhancing its customer offering in preparation for life to return to some form of normality. Over the last few months when others have been quiet, GGM have produced a number of new initiatives including a comprehensive new brochure featuring its extensive hire offering, and a new service agreement package providing customers with a tailor made service solution as well so showcasing some of its golf and fine turf customers in a new case study brochure. 

Chris Gibson concluded: 

“We feel very fortunate that our business has continued to grow over this testing period and we’re thrilled to be able to offer these new opportunities to local people, as well as helping our customers provide services as they get back to business”.