Recruiting the right staff for your business By Nicola Currie
Easton&Otley College Employer Liaison Officer
C ashflows! Whole farm budgets! Five year plans! a year need to be recruited within the next decade. In reality that means that an advertisement in the local paper to fill vacancies isn’t always the answer. The government wants to treble the number of apprenticeships in agriculture - easy to announce - much more challenging to achieve. In many ways we are an urban focused nation. Unfortunately, the excellent career opportunities available on our modern, high tech, East Anglian farms do not seem to interest many of today’s school leavers. Have you heard the one about the farmer who advertised for a tractor driver without success? When the wording was changed to ‘IT specialist wanted to handle computer systems and data analysis’ the applications flowed in. At the interview the farmer simply explained that the computers were attached to a tractor and gave the salary and the post was filled. Given that these days many tractors have more computer power than a small aeroplane it is a very plausible story. And one which carries a key message for all employers: It’s time to think differently about staff recruitment. The apprenticeship system is an ideal solution. Literally enabling the employer to grow their own work force with training taking place simultaneously at college and in the workplace. Since retiring from the CLA as a regional director, I now work for Easton&Otley College, meeting employers who want to find out more about the apprenticeship system - email nicola.currie@eastonotley.ac.uk to get in touch. Accountants rightly urge businesses to plan ahead. Now Easton&Otley College is doing it too - in this case for staffing requirements. The agricultural workforce is the second oldest in the country. It is predicated that 6000 new entrants
And another solution to recruitment When I met Sharon Gravener, (Scrutton Bland’s Corporate Services Partner), as well as apprenticeships, we also discussed a new charity called VetsEast, which helps those leaving the military into new careers. These people have CV’s which civilians can find hard to interpret, yet in reality many of their skills are a real asset to any business. It just takes a little help, which is why VetsEast provides a mentoring service to help former veterans with their transition into civilian life. www.VetsEast.com provides a platform for SME employers to advertise their vacancies free of charge. I have volunteered to be a mentor as I saw how my nephew struggled to make the transition from the Paras. But I have also taken on this role to be a link to careers in agriculture because these people have many skills which, with some additional training, are just what is needed by modern farming. Attention to detail, organisational and decision making skills, physically fit, used to working outdoors, someone who is good at working in a team and who is confident driving and servicing large machines. In addition to all of these skills, as one former soldier, (now assistant manager on a large pig unit) put it: ‘…and we keep going whatever the weather!’ For more information on apprenticeships contact nicola.currie@eastonotley.ac.uk or see their website www.eastonotley.ac.uk Scrutton Bland have extensive experience in working with educational organisations across East Anglia. Services that they provide include insurance, accounting and audit provision, and their experts aim to provide a joined up and straightforward approach to save time and resources in developing the most effective result for your establishment. Call 01473 267000 or 01206 838400 or see www.scruttonbland.co.uk
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