This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Contact centre firm expansion
22/05/2006
A Scottish contact centre firm is to expand its operations and create 500 new jobs at its Glasgow base with the help of £1.8 million Executive funding.
Response Handling Ltd (RHL) expects to see its Scottish workforce rise to more than 1,500 over the next three years.
Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen said:
"This is excellent news for Scotland. Contact centres are an important and successful part of Scotland's economy, employing around 44,000 people.
"This shows yet again that Scotland is a first class location for investment. We have a highly skilled workforce and a supportive business environment.
"RHL has recognised this, and I am delighted that we have been able to support the company's ambitious expansion plans with a Regional Selective Assistance grant."
RHL Chief Executive David Wallace said:
"This is an exciting period for RHL, as the business continues to develop at a significant pace. The RSA funding will allow us to strengthen our existing market proposition; create 500 new jobs in Scotland in line with our new business strategy, and help us to further develop a number of our customer contact centre sites. In addition, the funding will help in the continuing development of our 2,500 staff as we create an industry leading employee Training Academy."
RHL is part of the Murray International Holdings Ltd Group. It was founded in 1991 and operates a number of premises in Glasgow and Clydebank.
It provides customer management solutions to a range of clients including Sky and Scottish Power. The company was recently officially named the UK's fastest growing customer contact centre in Marketing magazine's annual Telemarketing League
Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) is the main national scheme of financial assistance to industry. It provides discretionary grants for investment projects that will create or safeguard jobs in Assisted Areas - areas designated for regional aid under European Community law. The scheme is administered by the RSA Scotland Unit of the Executive.
Payments of RSA are made in instalments, typically over several years, provided that job and project expenditure targets are met. The amounts quoted above and in the report, therefore, represent the maximum grant potentially payable if the project is satisfactorily completed, and not the amount actually paid to date.
All job numbers are based on firms' forecast figures at the time a grant is offered, and are subject to change depending on future economic conditions and other factors affecting the business concerned.