A new recruitment company is “rolling out” its new business with free bacon rolls at building sites in Canary Wharf and across London today.

Construction workers are being handed the rolls as John Gregory’s enterprise, Self Recruitment, sets out on the road over the next five days.

John, who left school with few qualifications, found his feet as an electrician and soon established a business, expanding his own company with other tradesmen under his wing, but found hiring the right workforce at the right time a headache.

“I understand first-hand the frustrations of construction recruitment on both sides,” John said.

“The challenges as a worker are trying to get contracts without gaps, having the right documents when starting a job, keeping invoices and so on—while contractors face having the right people at the right time.

“Gaps in working or delays in having workers on site are costly on both sides.”

The self-made entrepreneur found himself paying thousands of pounds a month just to hire workers, with complications that come with CSCS card validation, work quality and timesheets.

So he is running a ‘bacon roll selfie’ promotion and also offering those signing up discounts on mobile phone insurance, travel and tools.

His new Self Recruitment service charges construction workers 50p a week to connect directly with contractors looking to hire. The workers create a profile, upload CVs and store their documentation such as CSCS cards, Health & Safety certificates and their invoices for end-of-year accounts, with a calendar enabling job-tracking and showing availability for work.

John says it’s like “a one-stop shop for self-employed trades people” while contractors can hire as many staff as they like for a monthly membership fee.

Also on the cards is a new apprenticeship scheme he’s planning, to address the industry’s falling numbers of youngsters going into the construction trades.