How engineering companies can improve their recruitment

How engineering companies can improve their recruitment

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Engineering is a highly sought-after profession, with a growing demand for engineers across the world. However, the state of hiring engineers remains a challenging task for companies. Engineering talent is highly competitive and companies often struggle to find the right talent for their organisation.

The State of Hiring Engineers

The current state of hiring engineers is highly competitive, with a limited supply of skilled engineers to meet the demand. This has resulted in companies competing for the same talent, often leading to a lengthy hiring process and a significant investment of resources. Companies have also found it challenging to attract top talent due to the limited pool of candidates with the required skills and experience.
Another challenge that companies face when hiring engineers is the changing nature of the engineering profession. Traditional engineering roles are rapidly evolving, and new technologies are emerging. As a result, companies require engineers with a wide range of skills and expertise, making it difficult to find the right fit for their organisation.

Improving Your Recruitment of Engineers

To improve their hiring of engineers, companies need to adopt a more strategic and proactive approach. Here are 4 ways that you can improve your engineering recruitment today:

1. Build a Strong Employer Brand

Building a strong employer brand is essential for attracting top engineering talent. Companies need to showcase their culture, values, and mission to attract engineers who align with their organisation’s goals. A strong employer brand can also help companies differentiate themselves from competitors and attract candidates who are passionate about their work.

2. Offer Competitive Compensation and Benefits

Compensation and benefits play a critical role in attracting and retaining top engineering talent. Companies need to offer competitive compensation packages that reflect the value of the engineer’s skills and experience. Additionally, engineering companies should consider offering benefits such as flexible work schedules, private healthcare, and enhanced pension plans to attract and retain top talent.

Get your free salary survey for construction here.

3. Partner with Educational Institutions

Partnering with educational institutions is an effective way to identify and attract top engineering talent. Companies can collaborate with universities and collages to offer internships, apprenticeship programs, and mentorship opportunities. These programmes provide students with real-world experience and can lead to full-time employment opportunities for the students and a talent pipeline for the companies.

4. Look Further Afield for Candidates

In addition to the recommendations mentioned above, another way to improve the hiring of engineers is to look further afield for candidates. Companies can expand their search beyond their local area and even their country to find talented engineers from around the world.

Hiring internationally for engineers can provide many benefits for companies. Firstly, it allows companies to tap into a larger pool of talent and find engineers with unique skills and expertise that may not be available locally. Secondly, hiring internationally can bring a diversity of perspectives and ideas to the engineering team, which can lead to increased creativity and innovation.

However, there are also challenges and considerations that companies need to take into account when hiring internationally for engineers. One of the most significant challenges is navigating the complex legal and visa requirements for hiring international talent. Companies need to be familiar with the immigration laws and regulations in their country and the countries they are considering for hiring. Additionally, companies need to be aware of cultural differences and language barriers that may exist when hiring international talent. Companies may need to provide additional training and support to help international hires integrate into the team and adjust to the new cultural and linguistic environment. With careful planning and consideration, hiring internationally can be a valuable strategy for companies looking to build a diverse and talented engineering team.

Helping companies source the world’s best talent, while processing the complex visa and immigration processes, is what we specialise in at Crewit Resourcing. Reach out to us today to discover how we can help.

In conclusion, the state of hiring engineers is highly competitive, and companies face several challenges when trying to attract top talent. However, by adopting a strategic and proactive approach and implementing the recommendations outlined above, engineering companies can improve their hiring and build a strong and talented engineering team.

Construction Industry Employment Statistics (2022)

Construction Industry Employment Statistics (2022)

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The construction industry in the UK is massive. It’s estimated to contribute a GVA of ~£130 billion to the UK economy every year.

This enormity is reflected in the market’s employment, with construction jobs accounting for between 5-7% of all jobs in the UK.

You’ll learn these construction industry employment statistics in this roundup:

So what exactly does employment look like in the construction industry? Let’s take a look at 5 jaw-dropping construction industry statistics:

1. How many people work in construction in the UK?

According to the CITB, there are 2.69 million construction workers in the UK at the start of 2022.

Within them, our estimates suggest 65% are employees of PAYE/VAT registered companies, and 35% of them are self-employed individuals.

The total number of construction workers in the UK is 2% lower than at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Number of construction workers in uk

2. How many construction job vacancies are there in the UK?

There are currently more than 45,000 construction vacancies in the UK, representing 3.6% of all open job vacancies in the UK.

Construction vacancies are nearly double the level that they were pre-pandemic, in 2019.

With the recent end to free-movement, the pandemic-fuelled career changes, retirements and emigration, it’s likely that the drive for recruitment is only going to get more competitive.

Companies that think outside the box, fostering innovative programmes such as apprenticeships, will be the ones that can compete in this increasingly-tough recruitment outlook.

Last 10 years of construction vacancies against all industries.
Month/Year All IndustriesConstruction% All Industries
Sept 2012488,00014,0003%
Sept 2013548,00014,0002.5%
Sept 2014686,00023,0003.3%
Sept 2015742,00024,0003.2%
Sept 2016754,00021,0002.7%
Sept 2017801,00030,0003.7%
Sept 2018847,00027,0003.1%
Sept 2019820,00026,0003.1%
Sept 2020493,00022,0004.4%
Sept 20211,129,00044,0003.9%
Sept 20221,246,00045,0003.6%

Removing all non-manual jobs (Senior, executive, process, IT, technical and other office based staff), Wood Trades and Interior Fit Out jobs make up the most construction jobs in the UK.

With 244,000 workers, Wood Trades and Interior Fit-Out are the most popular jobs.

Shortly followed by Electric trades and installation workers, who there are around 187,000 of. Then Plumbing and HVAC, with 161,600.

Most popular construction jobs

4. What regions of the UK have the most construction workers?

With over 30% of construction firms and employees located there, London & the South East regions have the most construction workers in the UK.

Northern Ireland has the least, with 2% of the total workforce, and Wales and the Northeast only 1% ahead each.

Both demand and requirement is set to increase for every region in the UK by 2026.

Location of Construction Workers

5. How many construction jobs will there be in 2026?

In the CITB’s latest CSN report, they predict that the UK construction industry will require an additional 226,000 workers by 2026.

Of these, the regions with the most increase in required construction workers will be the South West (42,950) and the West Midlands (more than 30,000).

In the report the CITB states “The largest increases in annual demand will be for occupations such as carpenters/joiners and construction managers”.

Construction jobs growth

Conclusion

With over 342,000 construction companies in the UK, and a fall in construction companies going insolvent, now seems like a great time to work in the world of construction. Projects such as Hinkley Point C Nuclear New Build, HS2, Gigactories and Brent cross Town prove that construction is only going to grow in coming years.

Find your ideal construction job by visiting our jobs page.

Sources:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/constructionindustry/articles/constructionstatistics/2020#structure-of-the-industry

https://www.citb.co.uk/about-citb/construction-industry-research-reports/construction-skills-network-csn/

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/datasets/vacanciesbyindustryvacs02

https://www.statista.com/statistics/600691/job-roles-in-uk-construction-sector/

2022 Rail Calendar Pack

Get Your FREE 2022 Rail Calendar Pack

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We’ve designed the ultimate Network Rail Calendar to help you stay on top of your project, resource, and material planning.

Inside this pack we’ve included:

  • Network Rail Periods
  • Network Rail Weeks
  • Bank Holidays

And compiled the calendar into the following pack:

  • Digital files, for use with the office printer and on your computer.
  • Print files, for when you’d like a professionally printed or enlarged 2022 Rail Calendar
  • Multiple sizes – A4, A3 and A1.

Does this 2022 Network Rail Calendar Pack sound like it could help you? Enter your Name and Email below and you can download it instantly, for free:

Crewit Resourcing Open New Offices to Support Growth Into Wider UK

Crewit Resourcing Open New Offices to Support Growth Into Wider UK

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In support of increasing activity outside of the South East of England, Crewit Resourcing are opening a new office in Birmingham from August.

The move will come as part of our growth into the wider UK. Complimenting a consistent supply of projects across London and the South East, we have won more work across the West Midlands, North West and South West regions in the recent months.

We are also due to move our UK Head Office from Waterloo to Uxbridge this August.

Relocating to Uxbridge will provide our candidates and clients with a holistic coverage of the entire UK. This means more opportunities for our candidates to work, and a wider range of experienced labour for our clients.

This will take Crewit Resourcing’s offices to 6 across Europe including; Dublin, Porto, Chișinău and Kosovo.

What does this mean for Suppliers, Clients and Candidates?

Our business will be operating as normal during the move. From 2nd August, pre-arranged appointments and registrations will take place at our new office addresses listed below. All finance and communication documentation should be sent to our new London, UK (Head Office) address from this date.

Our New London, UK Address (Head Office)

Crewit Resourcing Ltd,
3rd Floor Belmont,
Belmont Road,
Uxbridge,
Middlesex,
UB8 1HE

Our New Birmingham, UK Address (Midlands Office)

The Colmore Building,
20 Colmore Circus Queensway,
Birmingham.
B4 6AT

Looking for your next role?

With our expansion into the rest of the UK, we’re on the lookout for new candidates to join us for long term opportunities. If you’re an experienced construction, facilities management or rail worker, quick register with us and we’ll be in touch when we have something suitable.

Quick Register

Work in recruitment?

Our expansion is supported with a growth in team. We’re looking for local recruitment professionals and experienced support staff. If you’re someone that goes ‘Above and Beyond’ and are looking for a company that will go ‘Above and Beyond’ for you in return, visit our careers page to apply for our upcoming roles.

View Current Openings

 

Retaining Our Investors in People Accreditation

Retaining Our Investors in People Accreditation

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We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded Investors in People’s “We invest in people, standard” accreditation for the second year running.

After a year of the coronavirus pandemic and remote working adaptions, Investors in People reviewed the business and deemed us worthy of the award. Achieving the award means principles and practices around supporting people are in place and everyone understands how to use them to make work better.

“We’d like to congratulate Crewit Resourcing. Being accredited with We invest in people is a remarkable effort for any organisation, and places Crewit Resourcing in fine company with a host of organisations that understand the value of people.” – Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People

Investors in People has a belief that the success of your organisation begins and ends with people. “If we make work better for everyone, we make work better for every organisation. And if we do that… we make society stronger, healthier and happier.”

“Throughout a year of uncertainty and fast adaptions, our team have pulled together and demonstrated our ‘Above and Beyond’ values more than I could have ever imagined. This is a team that I am immensely proud to lead, and this accreditation goes to prove why.” – Gary O’Keeffe, Chief Executive Officer at Crewit Resourcing

The review covered 9 principles and assessed areas such as:

  • Company Culture
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Processes
  • Leadership Development and Training

If you’re interested in joining Team Crewit Resourcing, check out our careers page for internal roles: crewitresourcing.com/careers

About Investors in People

Most of us will spend around 80,000 hours at work in our lifetimes.

For something that takes up that much of our time, we think people deserve to get more out of it than just a regular pay cheque.

That’s why we’ve already helped more than 11 million people across 75 countries to make work better.

And you know what, we’re just getting started…

We’re a community interest company, which means we put our purpose before our profits. That means everything we do and every direction we take is done to make work better.

Organisations that meet the We invest in our people framework are proud to display their accreditation to the world.

Because they understand that it’s people that make work better.

Sanitisation and Ancillary Teams

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Would having on-site nurses check over workers help your sites be operational during the COVID-19 outbreak? Do you want confidence that your sites are sanitised effectively?

We’re seeing a demand for specialist sanitisation and ancillary teams alongside registered nurses to help implement new control measures. We’ve created a range of solutions to enable your business to remain safe to work in and remain operational.

Specialist Sanitisation Teams

Supplying small/large teams of specialist sanitisation staff on-demand to keep your site clean (with/without PTS or CSCS certifications).

Nurses To Health Check Teams

Registered nurses available for on-site health checks can be supplied for your current team, or with a quality team of staff.

On-Site Sanitisation Training

On-site training for your team on how to keep themselves and your work site protected, delivered by registered nurses.

To help your site stay safe, prepared and operational, get in touch now crewitresourcing.com/contact-us

Budget 2020- Highlights for Rail & Construction industries and employers

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Yesterday, the Chancellor announced his Budget for 2020 amid the growing COVID-19 crisis.

‘If the country needs it we will build it’ says Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Rishi Sunak, presenting his first budget in front of the House of Commons, announced a range of spending plans signaling growth for the Rail & Construction sectors.

Key highlights from the Chancellor’s budget include:

  • More than £600 billion in the budget earmarked for spending on roads, railways, broadband and housing by mid-2025.
  • Over £44 billion for transport and £32 billion for housing and environment in the budget for this coming year.
  • Rail industry is exempt as the Government plans to abolish the annual tax relief on red diesel by 2022.

For Rail and Construction Industries

Getting into the finer details of the Budget 2020- West Yorkshire has been allocated a deal that includes more than £1.8 billion in investment to ‘Drive up living standards’. Transport is included in this strategy. Midlands Connect’s Midlands Rail Hub has been awarded an additional £20 million for the project.

Approaching 3 years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy, £1 billion has been allocated to a ‘safety fund’ to remove combustible cladding from buildings above 59ft tall.

A £2.5 billion package is due to be spent on fixing the potholes crisis. Aiming to fix 10 million potholes per year, councils said they welcomed the plans as they are currently fixing a pothole every 17 seconds.

For Employers and Workers

Concerns for the self-employed as the COVID-19 outbreak is seeing more of the population advised to self-isolate has put pressure on the government to include this in the Budget. They’ve announced a £500m boost for self-employed workers that are hit by the Coronavirus. This entitles those who are self-employed, to claim Employment and Support Allowance from day one, as opposed to day eight.

Statutory Sick Pay is to be extended for all those that are advised to self-isolate (providing they are eligible). To support employers, they will meet the cost for businesses that have less than 250 employees, for 14 days.

To support cashflow through the COVID-19 outbreak, a temporary coronavirus business interruption loan will be available of up to £1.2 million. British Business Bank will offer the scheme, which will guarantee 80% of the value of the loan to lenders backed by the Government with no-charge.

Subject to economic conditions, the National Living Wage is set to rise to £10.50ph by 2024, and the National Insurance threshold from £8,362 to £9,500. This comes as both the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage are due for an increase in 3 weeks (see below image).

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates

https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

Will the announcements affect your business?

How To Manage People Effectively

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Your profitability, customer satisfaction and business development all depend on how capable, energised and motivated your people are. They generate your revenue, keep customers happy and unlock new business opportunities.

So, how do you motivate them?

The simple answer is keep them happy.

On an Individual Level

We can’t deny that income is a very basic but very important motivator for top candidates that companies will be competing over. However, it is not only competitive salary we are talking about, it is what you offer on top of the salary.
It’s essential to make your salary, bonus/benefits system clear and transparent. People love to be treated fairly and understand how the system works.

Things like medical and life insurance, cars/travel allowances, mobile phones and other IT tools have become ordinary packages. Having a smart bonus system that is linked to results adds value and is a key determining success factor.

Health & Wellbeing is a big trend for 2018: flexible working arrangements, gym discounts, employee assistance programmes, health days and sports competitions should be part of your people offering.

Different digital platforms with additional benefits, salary sacrifice schemes and perks comprise another stylish trend. Be ahead of the game.

Getting into the heads and hearts of your people is a winning strategy. Not crossing over any private barriers but understanding what makes them turn their performance up. Ask a simple question: “What is important for you?” and you will get to know each individual better, their needs and expectations. By asking “How can I help” and acting on the suggested items you can win your people.

All people want to see a perspective so having regular 1-2-1s and discussing the way your people can develop is a must-have to retain them. You are to help them to identify their next role and sponsor their growth into it: whether it’s an investment into training, finding internal or external mentor / coach, a short assignment – your investment will be returned. The only thing to remember is that you need to measure the output and make sure that the knowledge received from these initiatives is put into practice, sticks and brings value.

On a Team Level

People come for the company and leave because of a bad management.
Even if you can’t afford all the fancy benefits, investing into hiring and developing responsible, sustainable managers is a definite go.
You can endlessly try to create an agenda on the top level and pay your HR but if your line managers do not translate priorities, values, best practices and more importantly practice them, all efforts are useless.
Fact 1: Line managers are role models.
Fact 2: Minimum 30% of Line managers’ time should be spent on their people. Have you noticed how children pick up styles and habits from their parents? The same pretty much works here.
I developed a 5E mode for one of my clients which reflects the main purpose of every manager / leader:

Engage

Translate strategies into plans that can be effectively executed and engages others to constantly look for better ways of doing things.

Encourage

Encourage others to act and think in ways that will get the job done, take appropriate risks on people using critical experiences and stretch assignments.

Enable

Minimise or remove barriers that get in the way of achieving results, sharing and leverage understanding of key business drivers to enable others to achieve better results.

Empower

Empower and coach others to build their skills, give constructive and actionable feedback to help people improve their performance, share knowledge and skills with others.

Embrace

Embrace others via fostering a positive and inclusive working environment where all people feel respected and valued for their contributions.

If you do not share a bigger picture, coach or mentor, delegate and discuss what is important for your people and how they want to develop – you are at risk to lose them.

On a Company Level

Draw a line from the company’s strategic priorities to team priorities and then into individual ones. People engage more if they clearly understand your company’s direction and priorities and know exactly how they contribute to them. They feel much more valued if you ask them to make in input into creation of the strategy and consult them. Regardless of the level of seniority your people can have great ideas about the way you can improve on both strategic and operational levels. Just ask them! Then share business progress with regular updates, challenges and successes in an open and encouraging way. An awards system to reward the successes and people behaviours you want to see more, will help you to celebrate your wins!

Recruiting & Retaining Top Class Talent

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The skills gap is becoming increasingly prominent in the construction industry, particularly rail. About 50% of all roles at a construction firm are on the UK’s Occupational Shortage List .This means there is an urgent need to up-skill employees and retain talent within your organisation. But how do we do this and how do we prepare for the future?

Below are examples of the multiple ways BCM Construction and CrewIt Resourcing successfully retain and gain the top talents into our companies.

Apprenticeship Programme

A trendy and forward-thinking way to attract talented individuals with a fresh perspective, right attitude and thirst for knowledge. It is increasingly popular in the view of corporate sustainability and the apprenticeship levy. Everything you need to know about apprenticeships you will find here.

Considerations:

  • We recommend you work with local job centres and councils.
  • Ongoing training is a key element to any apprenticeship programme.
  • You will need to have experienced mentors assigned to your apprentices.
  • Monetary motivational scheme in place to reward them.
  • It is mid-term investment.

Student / Graduate Programme

The bright minds with the latest industry and practical knowledge – Why wouldn’t you hire them?  Programmes can be engineered for graduates with full-time and permanent employment, “sandwich year” or 2nd year students that require/choose a 1-year work placement, short internships (e.g. summer time).

All you need to do is to create very specific roles, assign line managers (ideally mentors) and identify universities you would like to target.  Universities typically have career fairs and job boards where you can operate a stand. You can also find students via standard means of job boards.

Considerations:

  • Best time to recruit students / graduates is March.
  • Rotation programme for your students to get exposure to various roles business.
  • Student/graduate expectations are high and they are difficult to retain. If you hire students who then go back to university you need to offer them some incentive for them to return to you.
  • This is a mid-term investment.

Working Placement

Working with schools and colleges can be very beneficial, not only do you get interesting talents for short internships, but you also influence the next generation in the sense of guiding them towards a well-balanced choice of their future profession and raise awareness about an industry you operate in.

Considerations:

  • Choose local schools and colleges.
  • This is a long-term investment.

Other Industries

Going outside of your industry to bring in new people can be very rewarding and productive. Here you will need some out-of-box thinking and lots of flexibility. When hiring people outside of your industry you will primarily rely on leadership competencies, rather than technical knowledge. It is critically important to look at the potential of people, their ability to adapt, absorb, learn and develop quickly.

Considerations:

  • Approach this option by testing adaptability, ability to learn, leadership attributes.
  • You will need to explain all specifics of your industry, especially if technical knowledge is required.
  • This is a mid-term investment.

Other Countries

Broadening geographical boundaries can bring diverse pool of talents. European Union countries do not require work permit yet. To bring people from other countries into the UK you will need to arrange a working visa for them.  You will need to obtain a licence from Home Office and provide sponsorship. See more information here.  It is a good way to retain talents as once sponsored by you they can only work for your company.

Considerations:

  • It is a lengthy and quite expensive process.
  • It can be helpful to get professional consultants to help you with this.
  • This is a short-term investment.

Process Is Key

Regardless of whether you consider all these alternative means of bringing real stars into your company or you stick to regular means, it is always a great idea to have a robust recruitment process in place.

This can include:

  • Writing a proper job description capturing responsibilities and requirements of the role. The more precise you are, the easier it will be to match candidates against it. It is quite important then to adapt it to an eye-catching job posting and include attractive summary and package that is suggested with this role.
  • You can post the job on job boards but also any professional sites and forums, alongside going to local job centres.
  • You will need to clearly identify roles and responsibilities within your recruitment process, what recruiters/HR oversee and what hiring managers cover.
  • It is necessary to get back to all applicants, including those unsuccessful, even if it is just thanking for application and giving a standard: “other applicants were more successful on this occasion”.
  • Quick phone interviews help to create a short list of right candidates, that can simply cover interest to this role, relevant knowledge and experience, salary expectations, notice. Consider video interviews – a modern and helpful substitution of phone calls.
  • Face-to-face interviews should be competency-based. You create a list of important behaviours for the role on top of required knowledge and experience. You then simulate or retrieve a real-life situation when this or that behaviour can be demonstrated and turn it into a question. Your questions should always start from: “Tell me about a time when you…” You need to then control their answer, making sure they tell you about a specific situation rather than a hypothetical case.  You can guide your candidates telling them that you would like to hear about a Situation, Task, Activity, Result – read more here.
  • Interviews are an opportunity for you not only to ask your questions, but also answer those from candidate as they also make a choice and promote your company.
  • Continuous contact, dialogue and prompt process will help to retain your candidates whilst you make a choice rather than losing them halfway.

We hope these top tips will help you to attract the best talent for your company.  Here at Crewit Resourcing we can provide further guidance on the above and much more; our professional team of dedicated recruitment consultants will be happy to help you.