Princes, Chichester, West Sussex – Outplacement Programme (Site Closure)
Outplacement Support for Site Closure (150 Employees)
Princes Ltd, one of the UK’s leading food and drink manufacturers and distributors, faced a significant organisational change with the closure of its manufacturing site in Chichester, West Sussex. This transition resulted in around 150 redundancies, affecting employees across various roles, including: Factory Operatives, Supervisors, Technical Specialists, Business Functions and Management.
To support employees through this challenging period, Princes engaged Career Matters to provide a fully remote outplacement programme.
The Challenge
With a diverse workforce affected by the closure, the programme needed to address a wide range of needs and career aspirations. Additionally, the fully remote delivery format required a flexible and accessible approach to ensure every participant could benefit from the support.
Our Approach
Career Matters designed a flexible, tailored outplacement programme with a ‘menu’ of support options to meet the varied requirements of employees. Key elements of the programme included:
- Initial 1:1 Consultations: Thirty-minute remote sessions to understand each individual’s career goals and challenges, setting a foundation for personalised support.
- CV and Cover Letter Writing: Remote 1:1 sessions to create professional and impactful job application materials.
- Job Search Advice and Interview Preparation: Practical tools and coaching to help participants navigate the job market and succeed in interviews.
- LinkedIn Profile Optimisation and Training: Enhancing online professional presence and networking skills, tailored to technical, business, and managerial roles.
- ‘Start Your Own Business’ Workshop: Supporting those considering entrepreneurial paths, with insights into setting up and running a business, freelancing, or consultancy, and guidance on business planning and strategy.
The Outcome
The outplacement programme was highly valued by participants, who appreciated the flexibility and accessibility of the remote support. The personalised consultations and tailored workshops enabled employees to transition confidently into new opportunities, whether in employment or self-employment.
Testimonial: Simon Creasy, HR Manager, Princes Limited
“We considered a number of outplacement providers but decided to engage Career Matters to provide a service in the lead up to the closure of our Chichester site. As one of Europe’s largest food and drink groups, we needed to choose the right support for our hard-working staff many of whom have been employed with us for a considerable length of time. We met Julie Harding via video, who listened to our needs and put together a package of support tailored specifically for Princes, Chichester. We considered group training but decided, particularly as any outplacement solution would need to be delivered remotely, that a programme offering optional modules in areas such as CV writing, LinkedIn profiles and interview coaching was right for us. Over a period of four months, Career Matters provided a programme of support and training and 100% of the feedback from staff stated that it was either very valuable or extremely valuable. I am very pleased with Career Matters’ outplacement service and would highly recommend it to other organisations.”
