At Hillbrush, we strive to create a working environment that is inclusive and diverse. We value the passion and hard work of our staff and look to grow their abilities and experience. The safety and well-being of staff within our facility are at the forefront of everything we do. Implementing safety procedures and conducting risk assessments, we promote hygienic safety not just in our products. We strive to offer training and courses for all, to enhance performance and qualifications for our team.
Hillbrush is committed to equal opportunities within the workplace. We have found that a diverse workplace has improved creativity, drive, and innovation and we are grateful for those from different backgrounds and ethnicities. We currently have a workforce of 34% female and 66% male, from 8 different countries worldwide including Poland, Portugal and Cambodia. Our Senior Management team includes both men and women, focusing on treating all staff in a non-discriminatory way.
Since 2016, Hillbrush has welcomed students from all over the world for an in-depth introduction to the world of business. We offer the opportunity to connect to all departments and managers to provide a real experience to students for their future careers. We get to know our interns, learning their interests and how they would like to progress, to make sure they are in the right department.
ERASMUS and ESPA
ESPA is a Bath based business that specialises in supporting growing businesses with access to Bachelor/Master's degree level students from across Europe. They are connected to over 1200 universities across 34 European countries and work with host companies from a variety of industries and of all sizes. All the internships they fill are partly-grant funded and as they are connected to so many universities across Europe, they're not tied to one countries university calendar and can therefore place students all year round.
Our first intern through ESPA joined us in a Marketing role back in 2018 and since then, we have gone on to recruit Valentin, Myllena, Anna-Lea and Mebin. We're also already planning internships for 2023
Find out more about ESPA: https://www.espauk.com/
Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life. It supports priorities and activities set out in the European Education Area, Digital Education Action Plan and the European Skills Agenda.
The programme also:
- supports the European Pillar of Social Rights
- implements the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027
- develops the European dimension in sport
Read more about Erasmus+: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/
Thanks to ESPA and Erasmus, we have been lucky enough to take on intelligent and talented students from across the world. Anna has become a valued member of our Sales team. She is from Germany and studies business administration in Fulda, a small city approximately one hour away from Frankfurt. She decided to come to the UK to improve her English and gain experience in the business.
Anna's Story
"Hillbrush was recommended to me by a student placement agency, and I decided to just go for it and applied. I could not have made a better choice.
My favourite part about working here is that the work is varied, because every customer is different, so it never gets boring, and my amazing colleagues are super kind and very patient with me. I get to communicate with the customers via phone and email, which helps me to improve both my written and spoken English skills.
I appreciate being considered as part of the team and not "just an intern". I'm doing actual work and can see the results. I also get assigned some projects which profit both myself and the company.
Hillbrush has provided me with a car and a place to stay (a bungalow) which I am currently sharing with another intern from the marketing team. The company is based in Mere, which is a wonderful little village with beautiful brick houses and some cosy pubs. It is also only a one-hour drive away from the airport in Bristol, which allows me to go back to Germany from time to time.
There are some cultural differences between Germany and the UK. For one the office culture is different, in Germany, everything is very formal, and we use surnames, here in the UK we use first names and it's much more relaxed in general.
Also, the food in the UK is a bit bland for my taste and I still have to get used to driving on the other side of the road.
Overall, everyone I meet is so nice and I'm having a great time here.
In my spare time, I enjoy taking photos, reading, watching movies, and going out with friends. I also love travelling, which is a plus, as I get to see more of the UK. I've already visited some cities nearby (Shaftesbury and Salisbury) and went on a little weekend trip to Oxford and Cambridge.
I am immensely grateful for this opportunity and all the things I've already learned here in my 6 weeks so far, as well the trust that is placed in me."
Anna was kind enough to put on a German buffet and introduce the staff to the German lifestyle. She raised £103.67 for the Royal Warrant Holders Charity Fund.
Taking on interns like Anna has helped develop Hillbrush as a business and give insight into different cultures and working possibilities. We look forward to welcoming more interns like Anna in the near future.
Hillbrush would also like to thank Mebin Jose (working in the Finance Team, from India) Myllena Santos (working in the Marketing Team, from Brazil) and Valentin Tofan (working in the Category Management Team, from Moldova) for all the hard work and innovation they brought to Hillbrush during their time here.
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