THERE'S been a major boost to the local jobs market with the news a recruitment and training firm has signed a deal to supply up to 200 temporary workers to one of the UK’s leading timber manufacturing firms.

Employment specialists eResponse Recruitment will supply the workers to Worcestershire's Forest Garden Ltd, the UK’s largest producer and distributor of panels, timber buildings, outdoor furniture and landscaping materials. The two-year contract will run until January 2017 with eResponse providing shop floor personnel, general operations staff and delivery drivers to Forest Garden for its 15-acre manufacturing and distribution base in Hartlebury.

eResponse, which has offices and training academies in Kidderminster, Worcester and Redditch, will also be training drivers for Forest Garden through its accredited employee development programmes. Amy Byng from eResponse Recruitment, said: “The team at Forest Garden have been clear that they want us to deliver the most appropriately trained production, warehousing and customer-facing workers for them. We are already seeing a flood of applications for the variety of roles available. The interest is great news for the local economy and Worcestershire’s jobs market.”

Gerald Gregory, operations manager at Forest Garden, added: “Our manufacturing and distribution centre in Hartlebury is the hub of our operations and vital in our UK supply chain. It is essential for us to have appropriately skilled and committed people who provide quality products and services to our customers. We are delighted to be working with eResponse which has an impressive track record in recruiting reliable, professional people from the local area.”

The recruitment contract win is the latest in a long line of good news for eResponse. Last November the firm, which was founded in 2003 by brothers Paul and Joe Alekna, was listed at number 45 in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100, the second year in a row eResponse had featured in the national business barometer.