News and Updates

Arco has launched its first ever dedicated graduate placement programme as part of its ongoing commitment to developing the next generation of talent in the safety industry.

From hundreds of initial applications, Charlotte Andrews, Tom Newman, Olivia Richardson and Harry Shepherd have joined the fifth-generation family business as part of the 18-month paid programme, based at Arco's new office and collaborative workspace at Blackfriargate, in Hull.

Developed in-house by Arco's Learning and Development Team, the programme will see the graduates develop their skills and knowledge within diverse areas of the business, including in finance, the commercial team, marketing and HR, and acquire further relevant qualifications in their areas of specialism.

Darren Ford, Head of Learning and Development at Arco, said:

"This is the first time we have run a dedicated graduate recruitment programme, which further demonstrates our business' commitment to developing talent.

"It's fantastic that we were able to attract so many high-calibre applications and we're delighted to have successfully recruited four exceptional candidates in Charlotte, Tom, Olivia and Harry to Arco.

"They will bring fresh ideas and ways of working to our business while we offer them an invaluable early career development opportunity in return."

One of those taking part in the programme is Olivia Richardson, a Media and Screen Studies graduate from the University of Hull, who will be joining Arco's marketing team as a Marketing Graduate.

Olivia said:

"Having lived in Hull all my life, I was always aware of Arco and knew that they had a strong reputation of being a good company to work for and that they really contribute to the local community, so I knew that it would be a company that would fit with my own values.

"The graduate assessment day I took part in for the programme was a real challenge and pushed me out of my comfort zone, but I really enjoyed it and was excited to be chosen as one of the four graduates.

"After completing my course at university, I had established my own online business and this project had introduced me to digital marketing and the principles on how to create and grow a brand. I knew at that time that this was something that I wanted to explore further as a career.

"During my placement I will be dividing my time between three different teams, something I am really looking forward to as it will mean developing a variety of new skills and learning from different experiences. I think this will be a very valuable opportunity to have at the start of my career, as I can explore different roles and decide which area I would like to specialise in.

"Upon completing the graduate programme, it would be great if I could eventually go on to help others do the same thing as they start out in their careers."

Arco has a strong history in attracting and nurturing talent, including through its Future Experts programme, which has supported nearly 60 apprentices since its launch in 2016.

It is hoped that the Graduate Placement Programme will become a regular avenue for recruitment for Arco in the future and that the placements will provide a platform for career development at the business.

On behalf of the entire Arco Family, we are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family at this time of profound sadness and loss.

As we enter a period of national mourning, we reflect upon the unprecedented life of selfless service that Her Majesty lived, shining as a beacon of hope, dignity and forbearance throughout a period marked by unprecedented change and upheaval.

Throughout her 70-year reign, marked by her Platinum Jubilee this year, she was a remarkable demonstration of a life truly dedicated to public service.

Through her unwavering sense of duty and responsibility to every community within our nation and across the Commonwealth, she set an example for leaders around the world.

We take inspiration from her and her late husband’s commitment to supporting young people and future generations across the globe.

We are thankful for the decades of service to the nation and the Commonwealth that Her Majesty so selflessly gave.

Thomas Martin, Chairman
David Evison, Managing Director

Arco has awarded £10,000 to Hull-based charity CatZero, an organisation which creates unique employability programmes for young people, families, single parents and adults to help them move onto employment, education, or training. The donation will be used to assist with the maintenance costs of the charity's yacht, which is used to deliver a range of training courses and presents the opportunity of sailing on a 72-foot challenge yacht for eight days.

Arco's Community Panel donated the funds as part of their longstanding relationship with CatZero; the business has previously bought and sponsored the sail onboard the yacht and allocates a £5,000 a year fund for the charity to spend on products with Arco. CatZero has historically supported Arco with teambuilding sessions for colleagues from the business' Learning and Development and Senior Management Teams.

Anna Harvatt, Community Engagement Manager at Arco, said:

"Arco has a long-standing relationship with CatZero and is proud to be continuing this partnership.

"In addition to the funds for yacht maintenance and new equipment for 2022/2023, we're working closely with CatZero on their latest employability programme that gives participants the skills to enter the world of work as well as showcase some of the exciting careers available at Arco.

"Working with charities like CatZero also provides opportunities for our colleagues to volunteer their time and expertise to support others. Showing participants, the world of work, can provide the spark they need to get back into employment, education, or training."

Sailing on CatZero's yacht is fundamental to delivering programmes to those in need of support across the region and at least 120 people will benefit from the programmes each year. The charity delivers activities that address mental health awareness, health and wellbeing, employability, and help build new skills. Arco's recent donation will enable the replacement of a much-needed on-board generator, allowing many people from deprived communities to continue to benefit from life changing experiences for the foreseeable future.

Pete Tighe, Operations and Partnership Manager at CatZero, said:

"CatZero is proud and thankful to be supported by Arco. The support that it gives will help with the sustainability of the charity, moreover, the passion of its staff shines through and will benefit the participants in the joint working that we are planning to undertake."

Arco is committed to inspiring young people to achieve their full potential and to enhance local life, making the communities they serve better places in which to live, work and invest. It does this through charity and community support, donating 1% of pre-tax profits each year.

Arco Professional Safety Services' Equipment Manager, Mike Clayton, recently attended the UK screening of the movie: Thirteen Lives.

Directed by Ron Howard and starring Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell, the film recounts the obstacles that had to be overcome to rescue twelve boys and their coach from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018.

The operation involved rescuers from across the globe, including Mike and a team of divers from the UK. The rescue was described as 'a miracle that united the world'.

Mike was invited to the screening along with Peter Dennis (Chair), Emma Porter (Secretary) and Toby Hamnet (Legal Advisor) from the British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC).

Mike said:

"I was delighted to be invited to the UK screening of Thirteen Lives.

"At the BCRC, we knew of the incident on the 23rd of June (the day the boys were trapped) and we immediately wanted to help. We began speaking to other cave rescue associations internationally to see if we could source equipment for the rescue response teams.

"An official request for help came via the British Foreign Office around the 25th of June. It was decided that me and two other surface support members would fly out on the 4th of July to assist.

"On the 5th of July we made it to Thailand and our time was spent doing all that we could to support the dive crew, including daily meetings with the various Thai and international authorities involved in the rescue.

"It was a tough time for all involved due to the complexity of the rescue and international attention, but 18 days after they were found, we were all relieved that the 12 boys and their coach were rescued safely.

"I am incredibly honoured to have been involved in one of the most challenging cave rescues in modern times and it was certainly a life changing event. The operation involved hundreds of rescuers from 17 countries, including a team of divers from the UK."

Thirteen Lives is out now and available to view on Amazon Prime Video.

Arco has been shortlisted for the prestigious IHEEM Healthcare Supplier of the Year Award, in recognition of its work supplying respiratory protection and fitting services to Scotland's NHS.

In August 2020, whilst health services were struggling to source Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ensure all their workers were adequately protected, Arco stepped in to supply essential PPE and fitting services to Scotland's Health and Social Care. Between May 2021 - May 2022, Arco supplied 100 million surgical masks, 4 million visors, and 1 million FFP3 respirator masks to meet around 87% of Scotland's health and social care needs. This support was successfully implemented through 50 managed local distribution hubs, providing PPE to over 2,700 sites.

Clare Casciani, Health and Safety Advisor, NHS Lothian said:

"Without Arco's support, we would not have been able to achieve this at all. It's been a wonderful, incredibly valuable service, thank you."

Arco worked with hospital teams across Scotland to coordinate a face fit testing program, ensuring Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) wearers were kept safe with correctly fitting FFP3 respiratory masks. Ill-fitting or incorrectly sized PPE presents a significant risk to staff members, especially as users may not realise their protection is compromised, leading to behaviour that drastically increases exposure risk. Frontline staff were supported with over 3,000 days of Fit2Fit approved on-site testing, across day and night shifts. Arco also organised training for NHS Scotland staff members in running their own face fit testing. They provided bespoke fit testing training days and continued coaching and mentoring staff so they themselves could be trained to Fit2Fitstandards. Several NHS staff have since gone on to pass their Fit2Fit examination.

NHS Staff Feedback on Face Fit Training:

"On behalf of the team, I would like to express our appreciation for the valuable support we received from Arco supporting us prior to our quantitative Fit2Fit accreditation exam. We all benefited greatly from being able to examine and probe a variety of half-face and full-face masks, on more than one occasion. The team were also on hand to help answer any questions. I would highly recommend this support is available to other NHS staff."

Arco employed a five-step process to select products that met quality, reliability and ethical standards when supplying frontline workers. Counterfeit and non-compliant PPE was identified, and all product quality was reviewed, thanks to Arco's in-house and independently accredited Product Assurance Laboratory. Arco also partnered with Alpha Solway and Scotland's Health and Social Care to develop products manufactured in the UK. New packaging was also introduced for improved storage and face fit data collected by Arco contributed to research around new products, and a new mask was launched in 2021.

This highly successful support of Scotland's Health and Social Care and NHS has been recognised by Arco's shortlisting for the IHEEM Awards. The winner will be announced on 4th October at Healthcare Estates 2022. Arco has shared sincere thanks to all their hardworking colleagues who have ensured healthcare workers and patients felt protected and safe.