Tackling the North’s labour and skills crisis
Over a third (38%) of organisations in the North of England are finding it hard to fill vacancies, despite 70% looking to recruit more over the next three months, according to new CIPD research. Jobs in many low- paid sectors in particular, are facing acute talent shortages, including hospitality (51%) and health and social care (49%).
The report found that where employers in the North are acting to address hard-to-fill vacancies, the most popular planned response is to upskill existing staff (44%). Other responses include raising wages (25%), hiring more apprentices (25%) and making a greater effort to recruit older people (9%).
William Hare apprentices
CIPD calls for government action
Bridging the skills gap through apprenticeships
Skills training with the Army
In our in-depth Addressing skills and labour shortages post-Brexit report - based on a survey of more than 2000 employers in low-paying sectors and focus groups – we call on the government to tackle the region’s labour crisis and reverse decades of underinvestment in skills, through three key measures: • Introduce a temporary job mobility scheme for young EU nationals to act as a ‘safety valve’ to ease immediate, acute labour shortages. • Reform the Apprenticeship Levy to create a broader, more flexible training levy to boost employer investment in skills. • Provide £60m to fund a business improvement consultancy service via the Growth Hub network to help more firms invest in new technology and improve their people management and workforce development capability.
As more employers look to upskill or reskill staff amid the labour shortages, the British Army’s engagement team are helping large and small companies to achieve through developing workers core skills and confidence in areas such as leadership and problem solving.
Rather than compete for graduates every year, William Hare (a global leader in engineered solutions and headquartered in Greater Manchester) has developed award winning apprentceship programmes to help bridge any skills gaps.
Lieutenant Colonel Andy Black REME, Head of Engagement, NE and Yorkshire said:
Ceri Travers, Organisational Development & Early Careers Manager at WilliamHare in Bury said:
The Army firmly believe that their personnel are more than employees, they are its key assets. This is why we provide key skills training not just to deliver a soldier’s duties, but to develop them for life after their army career, and it is these skills we pass on at our community events.
Our apprenticeship programmes offer permanent roles; everyone has a mentor and a learning plan; most programmes offer progression and there is a salary scale to enable people to increase their salary every year as they achieve.
REGIONAL INSIGHTS
Winter 2021
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