Mail Box Express supports personal development and training as Leeds Met University interviews recent graduate and employee Karl Young.

Karl Young says he has always been hands-on when it comes to work; and it was this passion to work and to learn, combined with a little help from Leeds Mets’s Job Shop that drove Karl forward into the position that he holds today.

He says, “I have always worked from a young age and Leeds Met has helped me to understand what I wanted from my career and how to get there. The University provided the tools for me to shape my path and help me obtain a role that best suited my needs and aspirations. They prepared me with the knowledge to apply theory I had learnt to real life situations.”

During his time as a student, Karl took advantage of the expertise on offer at our University’s Job Shop; the first time around was to ask for their help in writing up his CV to a professional standard and the second time was to find work. It was the latter experience that led Karl to his current role as marketing administrator for Mail Box Express. Praising the in-house employment agency, Karl said: “Without their help I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work for one of the fastest growing and best courier services in the UK.”

To read more or to find out more about how the Job Shop at Leeds Metropolitan can help you earn while you learn!

A COURIER service specialising in services to law firms is expanding its operations with a new base in Birmingham.

Mail Box Express, based in Leeds, is creating an immediate five jobs in the second city with a further 20 contract jobs set to follow. The company said the expansion would enable it to extend its courier services to provide nationwide coverage to firms in the legal sector.

It said client demand for the service to be extended to the Midlands’ area had given the company the impetus and confidence to invest in its new Birmingham operation, which is based in Albion Street, in the city. Darren Shaw, managing director, said: “Our main driving force for expansion comes from our existing clients. Our main competition to providing courier services to the legal profession has traditionally come from London.

“During the downturn though, more and more clients are looking for value for money courier services across the country and we are poised to make the most of this opportunity by providing a reliable, secure delivery at competitive prices.” Mail Box Express, which was established in 2004, is the largest provider of motorcycle couriers outside of London.

The firm opened its second depot in Manchester in January last year when it acquired Manchester’s longest standing courier company, Comet Couriers. The firm also now operates in Newcastle, Sheffield and Liverpool and employs 15 full time staff and 70 contract staff. The courier makes up to 400 deliveries each night and is committed to being ‘truly green’ to offset the carbon footprint it creates. LPG vehicles are used by the firm as much as possible together with hybrid electric vehicles.

To mark the expansion into Birmingham – and to establish a link with the West Midlands – the courier invited former Leeds and England footballer Allan Clarke to visit its premises. The centre forward has strong links with the region having begun his playing career with Walsall, while his brother Wayne also played for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City.

Picture caption: Former Leeds and England footballer Allan Clarke meets Mail Box Express managing director Darren Shaw, left, during a visit to the firm.