Actually, I think you left as I walked into the building. Probably a good decision.
(laughs) Yeah I think that was it
(there follows 10 minutes of what-you-been-up-to chit chat of no interest whatsoever of the readers of this blog)

OK Spencer, we’ve got an interview to do. How do you feel about answering a few questions for Wise Man Say?
Love to, fire away

notgoingtouni.co.uk – a glorious name, Spencer. I think most people can guess what you might be all about but put it in a nutshell for us.
notgoingtouni.co.uk is a resource for young people who are looking at alternatives to University. Everything you look at is geared towards graduates. Young people who didn’t go to University have been under served and under supported when it comes to looking for work. In fact, they’ve been made to feel like failures, especially during the Blair era when going to Uni was the be all and end all. 16-18 year old’s have been left to fend for themselves – it’s been a problem for a long time.

I couldn’t agree more.
University doesn’t suit everyone. There’s a lot of bright people out there who didn’t going to Uni. I didn’t….

…yeah and look where you ended up…
(laughs)
Exactly right, and I did alright! There was this big push to get everyone to go, I think a lot of people went because they felt pressured to do it, not because they really wanted to. We’re trying to cater for those people, to provide an alternative to the academic route. You could say that we want to be the UCAS for non graduates.

Right OK, so I’m a school or college leaver, I go onto notgoingtouni.co.uk, what exactly do I get?
You get career advice, guidance on training & further education, information on apprenticeship, CV and interview advice and, of course, job vacancies from employers who are looking to recruit talented non graduates into their businesses

Ah, so you also operate as a job board?
Yes, that’s right. We work with some of the best companies in the UK and we’re carrying vacancies with the likes of PwC, IBM, Morrisons, Ernst & Young, Tesco, Baker Tilly, Virgin Media and others. We’re working to bring more clients on board and we’re growing our name all the time.

This sounds great. You draw the candidates in with free resources and you bring in employers because you can guarantee the talent pool.
That’s it.

Do you provide anything more for the employers, for example, candidate database search or other method of candidate acquisition?
Yes we do. Every client is different and I think some clients sort of enjoy having a look at the database and picking through the candidates. We also have a presence on twitter, facebook and other social media sites, so we can highlight employer vacancies through the social message. We have a newsletter that goes out to 300,000 people monthly. Of course we can also promote selected employers onto our homepage.

All this sounds great – helping young people and helping the employers. And how do you help yourself – how do you make your money?
We charge £300 per month for employers. Those employers who want to go for the annual subscription for £7,500 for which they get listings, 4 x email newsletters, promotion through our social networks and featured case studies.

How long until world conquest?
It’s a long road, but we will get there.

Spencer, it’s been a pleasure. All the best with notgoingtouni.co.uk, much needed in the UK marketplace.
No problem Wise Man Say. Great speaking with you. Let’s speak again.