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Case study: Vulcan Seals
As a global manufacturer and supplier of mechanical seals, encapsulated O-rings and gland packing sealing solutions, Vulcan Seals is always on the lookout for potential new recruits, with the raw skills and interest needed to flourish in a career in industry.
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The HR team has often found recruitment to be a challenge, with candidates requiring a strong work ethic and eagerness to learn in a fast-paced and specialist engineering environment.
In October 2024, Vulcan Seals spoke to the Business Development team at Opportunity Sheffield to see how they could support by sourcing candidates for work placements.
Opportunity Sheffield was supporting a number of enthusiastic jobseekers who had just completed construction and rail track maintenance training, and who could potentially bring transferable skills into the business.
Yves and Emma at Opportunity Sheffield arranged work placements, which gave Vulcan Seals the chance to assess their candidates’ suitability for vacancies on offer. At the same time, participants were able to gain practical experience to see if this was a career path they would like to pursue.
The partnership was a success – by July 2025, nine new employees had been recruited through this pathway!
Opportunity Sheffield has continued to support Vulcan Seals with its recruitment and staff training, brokering an apprenticeship and supporting the business to equip staff across all departments with Mental Health First Aid training.
Meg Needham, Group HR Advisor, says:
“Opportunity Sheffield has supported out-of-work people to gain the vital skills for employment, which then enabled them to gain a role within our company.
“Everyone we have dealt with at Opportunity Sheffield has been helpful and willing to look into whatever we need. They have even been able to research and find funded courses to help our team develop further.”