Debbie McDermott, Managing Director at Bluestones Staffing discusses her career to date, navigating the competitive job market in Northern Ireland, and future growth plans for the business. 

What was your background before joining Bluestones?

I started my career working in administration and finance within a recruitment agency, which gave me valuable experience and a thorough understanding of how agencies operate. Working with both clients and candidates enabled me to gain a full understanding of each process, from CVs to invoices and payments, and allowed me to confidently provide them with comprehensive support.

As my career progressed, I eventually became a Recruitment Manager and now have over 25 years of recruitment experience. At one point during my career, I moved to New Zealand. Although my skillset was easily transferable, my time in New Zealand taught me alternative methods of building and maintaining relationships, which have advanced my career since returning to Northern Ireland.

How did you come across Bluestones in the first place?

I’d expressed an interest in setting up my own agency, which resulted in another brand Director within Group advising me to look into the support and resources they could provide in doing so.

What was your experience in joining Bluestones?

The communication was excellent right from the start, and they were upfront about the expectations required upon joining Bluestones Group. The process was very stringent, from the initial chat to the business plan presentation, to ensure you have the skillset, knowledge and experience to build a successful recruitment company.

Once you’ve been given the opportunity to partner with Bluestones, you’re given an abundance of support to get your agency up and running, including a marketing team, payroll and finance team, and an IT department. This allows you to establish and build your brand without worrying about the back-office functions.

What motivated you to run your own recruitment agency? 

I’m very passionate about recruitment and enjoy providing clients and candidates with exceptional service, ensuring everything is managed effectively.

After starting my family, I was ready to get back to my challenging but rewarding career. I couldn’t find an agency that matched my values and work ethic, so opening my own agency felt like the obvious next step in my career.

The reality of opening my own agency felt quite daunting. I was apprehensive about the time it would take to open an agency, but Bluestones made the entire process seamless, and I was following my passion to supply temporary staff within the blue-collar sector within no time.

Are there any particular highlights in the service(s) you receive from Bluestones?

It’s the back office that keeps everything running smoothly within a recruitment agency. Without the team at Head Office, which included marketing, payroll, IT, and mentoring, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have so far.

The Covid-19 pandemic truly highlighted the advantages of being part of a larger group. The other brand Directors were in the same position, facing similar challenges. Navigating an unprecedented situation with the encouragement of others in the same situation was uplifting.

We have industry specialists within each division, which meant we could advise and support each other during an unexpected and complex period. The payroll department adapted our payment methods to support the needs of our candidates. The Finance team worked with our clients, not only to support our business, but to assist the clients who were having a difficult time themselves.

What advice would you offer someone else considering launching their own agency (and/or seeking investment from Bluestones)?

Have confidence in your ability, knowledge and experience as they will be key to building a successful agency.

Build your agency focused on the sector you know best and already have connections within, this allows you to hit the ground running and create a strong and successful network.

Concentrate on one sector when you initially get started, whether that’s supplying temporary or permanent candidates. Building a strong foundation, rather than juggling too many things at once, will pay off in the long run.

One of the most important pieces of advice I can offer is to build your recruitment team quickly, with people you can rely on to manage important tasks and responsibilities. Your team will be your greatest asset. If you put your trust in them, you will accomplish more together than you can alone.

How do you navigate challenges such as skill shortages or a competitive job market in Northern Ireland?

I utilise my network to the best of my ability, and Bluestones have the best people in the market working for them.

Marketing assists with our social media platforms, ensuring we increase our brand awareness, reach our target audience and get great engagement. This attracts not only candidates but clients too.

We ask our candidates how they found us, whether it was on social media, a referral or a simple Google search.

We hold open days with our clients on-site, which allows candidates to see the business and meet the team first-hand. We complete the registration process and can even conduct interviews during the open day.

We regularly work with local colleges and steps-to-work programmes to find newly qualified candidates and attend various job fairs throughout Northern Ireland to discuss opportunities within the local areas.

If we have a candidate with a specific skillset looking for work, we’ll contact clients’ who are hiring for a position that would best suit their abilities.

Can you share any insights on the current job market trends in Northern Ireland and how they might impact employers and job seekers?

Employers are taking on more temporary staff, as they are unsure of how the market will progress going forward. It could take a downturn at any time, so they’re being cautious. This has resulted in candidates being apprehensive to change jobs, as the saying goes – last in, first out.

The manufacturing industry is continuously growing, and I can’t see that slowing down over the next six months. However, there is a skill shortage for many of the roles in demand and we’re having to advise clients on what is attainable, contrary to what they require at present.

What are your growth plans for your business?

Growing our Belfast office will be the next step. We already have an active commercial desk, but we want an experienced consultant to take it to the next level.

Our hospitality desk is growing rapidly, so a trainee consultant would be an ideal addition to the team in the near future. This would allow our already successful team to grow and expand naturally.

From your perspective, what are the main advantages of being in the Group?

Having access to expert industry knowledge at your fingertips and the support network we have at Head Office.

The finance team is a huge advantage. When you know your finances are under control, you can sleep easy.

Where do you see yourself (or Bluestones Staffing NI) three years from now?

Having two offices in Northern Ireland, with a bigger team, who have the same passion and drive that I, and our current team, have for Bluestones Staffing NI. 

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Bluestones Supply Chain, a growing agency with multiple locations across England and Scotland, is the go-to recruitment company for a diverse range of driving and logistics clients, from small family-owned businesses to international blue-chip organisations. Whereas Cogent Staffing is one of Yorkshire’s most successful multi-disciplinary recruitment businesses.

Together, they’re part of the Generalist division within the Bluestones Investment Group, a multi-million pound revenue business, with offices throughout the UK and a balanced portfolio of staffing brands.

This joint initiative and the opening of a new office in the heart of Manchester’s industrial district, Trafford Park, brings together the collective resources of two-specialist recruitment agencies that focus on supporting organisations operating throughout the supply chain, manufacturing, logistics, and related industries.

This geographical expansion for both businesses will help support continued growth as the businesses support workers with finding temporary and permanent employment positions during the cost-of-living crisis.

Alongside the office opening, we’re also excited to announce the appointment of local recruitment expert, Danny Oakes, as Branch Manager. Danny specialises in placing workers in industrial, FMCG, engineering and commercial sectors both in temporary and permanent roles, across Greater Manchester and Lancashire. Danny has a wealth of recruitment experience, intrinsic local knowledge and an envied network of candidates, making him perfectly placed to support a diverse range of clients across the region.

On the joint initiative, new office opening and securing Danny to join the Cogent Staffing team, Sam Gaukroger, Managing Director of Cogent Staffing, said:

“We already have an extensive client base in Manchester and a presence in the area will allow us to strengthen and build on those relationships. We also recognise the wealth of talent that exists within Lancashire and our new office will give us access to a larger talent pool, that would not have been available to us before.

We’ve enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Bluestones Supply Chain over the years, so combining forces, expertise and resource on this new venture is extremely exciting. What’s more, we couldn’t be happier to have Danny heading up our new venture. Securing his services is a major coup for the business and we’re thrilled to have him on board.”

Krista Flanagan, Managing Director at Bluestones Supply Chain added:

“Originally from the North West, I’m thrilled to be extending our operation into Lancashire. The opening of the Manchester branch, in collaboration with Cogent Staffing, will accelerate our growth plans further following a hugely successful move into the North East in 2018.

“Our new Branch Manager, Kimberley, has a great network of contacts and second to none recruitment expertise, so I’m confident this move will only enhance Bluestones Supply Chain’s presence on the nationwide stage.”

On the new initiative, Trish Stratford, Divisional CEO at Bluestones Investment Group said:

“Bluestones Investment Group is delighted to be supporting Cogent Staffing and Bluestones Supply Chain with further investment for the next stage of their growth journey. It’s great to see collaboration across the group, leveraging our collective strengths to continue to deliver exceptional services to clients and candidates alike across the industrial and logistics sectors.”

This joint initiative ensures that client companies can have a genuine end-to-end supply chain solution that supports everything from the initial manufacturing process and warehouse operations to logistics and transportation.

Whether it’s ad-hoc supply of individuals, recruiting permanent personnel, or providing on-site managed services, our new joint initiative has it covered. With a tried and tested approach, an enviable client portfolio, industry-leading technologies, and a well-experienced management and delivery team, Cogent Staffing, alongside Bluestones Supply Chain, can offer a genuine integrated solution and provides a single, focused service for both its clients and its workers.

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The GLAA operates a licensing scheme to regulate the provision of workers for roles in the UK fresh produce sector – agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering and any associated processing and packaging.

Bluestones Supply Chain will now work in partnership with the GLAA to protect vulnerable and exploited workers, and is now authorised to act as a Gangmaster in relation to the supply of temporary labour to the agriculture, horticulture, and processing and packaging sectors.

The GLAA Licence was awarded following an independent audit.

For more information about Bluestones Supply Chain, please take a look at their website HERE.

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Bluestones Supply Chain, which is part of the Bluestones Group’s generalist division, joined the Group over 5 years ago and recently expanded its portfolio to include the recruitment of industrial workers as well as professional drivers.

As part of the agency’s growth throughout the country, the team at Bluestones Supply Chain is pleased to announce they are the sole supplier of warehouse operatives to Asda in the North East.

Bluestones Supply Chain already supply an onsite service to Asda in the North East for drivers and are now the sole supplier of warehouse operatives to the supermarket’s distribution site in Washington, Tyne and Wear.

This is part of the agency’s from warehouse to wheels strategy to support their clients throughout the whole of the supply chain.

The agency will be supplying 100 operatives a day for the first 4 weeks of the contract, rising to 250 a day for the remainder of the contract.

Krista Flanagan, Managing Director, said,

“We have been onsite for Asda in Washington since 2019 supplying HGV drivers, so we are very pleased we can now support the supermarket chain throughout their supply chain. We launched our industrial division in October 2020, so this is a huge win for Bluestones Supply Chain – I’m so proud of all the work we have put in as a team over the last few years and I’m excited for the busy period about to hit us.”

If you would like to find out more about Bluestones Supply Chain’s service offerings or view the latest industrial and driving job vacancies, visit www.bluestones-sc.co.uk

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Cogent Staffing, which is a key business in the Bluestones Group’s Generalist division, joined the Group over three years ago and has gone from strength to strength in its expansion across the region.

As the Cogent Staffing team continue to grow, the agency is pleased to announce the launch of its new engineering division to provide dedicated support to companies throughout the country.

The agency, which supplies candidates to the Engineering, FMCG, Manufacturing and Supply Chain sectors, is now providing its clients with a dedicated team who are experts in engineering recruitment.

As part of its new offering, Cogent has promoted Zoe Silverwood to oversee the engineering team. Zoe, who joined Cogent in 2018 and has a wealth of engineering recruitment experience, will be working with the new team to support engineering companies throughout the country with their staffing requirements.

Sam Gaukroger, Managing Director of Cogent Staffing, said,

“It has always been our goal to introduce dedicated sector teams, so we are very proud to have successfully launched our engineering team this month. Cogent Staffing continues to go from success to success, so we are very honoured that we can now support our clients with devoted engineering staff.”

For more information on current job vacancies throughout the country, or the supply of temporary, permanent and contract staff or on-site services, visit www.cogentstaffing.co.uk

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Bluestones Supply Chain has explored the effects of both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic on staffing levels in their new Brexit blue paper.

The blue paper focuses on the impact felt by the logistics sector and how staff shortages can be mitigated throughout 2021 and beyond.

Krista Flanagan, Managing Director, said, “We understand many companies within the logistics sector are reliant on volume labour and the impact Brexit has had on recruiting this labour.”

Our blue paper covers how the sector has been affected, which roles are experiencing shortages and the part we are playing to support clients.

You can download the full report from the Bluestones Supply Chain website HERE.

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