GR8 is celebrating another milestone after becoming the first specialist recruitment company in the Channel Islands to sign a business agreement with the Kenyan State Department for Diaspora Affairs.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Jersey this afternoon by Roseline K. Njogu, Principal Secretary, State Department for Diaspora Affairs, and Lee Madden, Chief Executive of GR8. It makes GR8 a strategic partner for recruiting Kenyans into the Crown Dependencies, strengthening business links with the East African country.
Ms Rosaline is on an official visit to Jersey to strengthen business and political links and is accompanied by the Deputy Head of Mission at the Kenya High Commission London, Ambassador Joseph Warui, Members of the Kenyan Parliament and senior government officials. During their visit they are also meeting the Minister for External Relations, Highlands College and business organisations including the Jersey Chamber of Commerce and Jersey Construction Council.
The Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, Deputy Kirsten Morel, said: “I am extremely pleased to see that our links with Kenya are growing stronger. Business agreements such as this complement our diplomatic relationship with Kenya and represent a tangible benefit to the local community. I hope this partnership flourishes, ensuring that Jersey remains an attractive and welcoming place for overseas skilled workers from multiple industries to live and work.”
GR8 began working with partners in Kenya five years ago, starting a close business relationship with Kenya Utalii College that saw trained hospitality workers brought over to help support businesses in the Channel Islands who were struggling to recruit staff following Brexit. Since then, it has matched hundreds of skilled workers from the hospitality, construction, transport, early years education and health care sectors into roles in Jersey and Guernsey with the majority coming from Kenya.
Lee Madden (main picture), the Chief Executive of GR8, added: “It’s been an honour for me to represent GR8 and the wider business communities in the Channel Islands as we reach this important agreement. Over the last five years, we have built up strong relationships with education providers and the extremely high standard of training they deliver is reflected in the quality of the people that we bring to the Channel Islands to work in various industries. The agreement with the Kenyan government will help us build on the success that started with Utalii and has now moved into other sectors including finance and accounting. This agreement puts us right at the heart of the growing business links with this part of East Africa and I’m delighted that we’ll be playing an important part in that growth.”
