Ex-Carcraft directors bid to help jobless staff

TWO former directors of the doomed Carcraft company have joined forced to find work help more than 500 of its staff  rendered jobless when the it crashed.

Using Facebook, Andy Coulthurst and Robin Bridge launched a recruitment drive for ex-employees who lost their jobs when Rochdale-based Carcraft  went into administration on April 30.

The social media group ‘Carcraft people’ allows former employees to post their CVs online, before they are collated for appropriate positions in their local areas.

Already more than 60 job seekers have posted on the page since it was set up the day after the company went under.

The du , believe there are plenty of dealer jobs in the regions where Carcraft had locations.

Devastated to hear the news of the company’s administration last week, the say their aim now is simply to connect loyal employees with dealers looking to fill vacancies with experienced candidates.

Now director of Vehicle Trading Group, Robin Bridge left his position of Cheif-exec for Carcraft in 2014 but told how the company still very close to his heart.

Disappointed to learn the car supermarket had fallen into administration Bridge said he could not leave families on ‘the Carcraft scrap heap’.

Bridge, 47, from Manchester, said: “I worked at Carcraft for 17 years, my family grew up in the time I worked there and I knew a majority of people who were working there when the company was called a day. Ultimately we knew their families.

“There are men and women who have worked at Carcraft for more than 30 years, their whole working lives, so for me to learn it was all over was devastating. I have had people in tears on the phone and we wanted to help.

“We hated the thought of people being left on the scrap heap so set up the Facebook group encouraging people to send CVs and asking companies if they had any jobs out there.

“The response has been overwhelming from both sides.”

The group has received posts for around 100 jobs, with interest across the car dealership industry with roles specialising in finance or to IT to car valets and mechanics.  

Coulthurst and Bridge are offering their wealth of industry contacts and connections in a bid to open doors for others free of charge.

Coulthurst said:  “It was exceptionally sad to see the company go into administration as it was such a huge part of my life for a long time – it was my first ever job.

“The motoring industry is in actual fact booming, the company’s closure is through no fault of the hard workers but reputation issues which have sent it over the edge.”