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​Why you should never stop investing in the training and upskilling of your leadership team​When you break it down, an organisation is only as good as the people it employs.​Your management team is responsible for leading your employees and guiding them towards a collective goal as well as individual targets. So, by investing in leadership development, you ensure that your managers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to lead effectively.​With cost-saving is a priority for many businesses, why should investment in senior talent be seen as a non-negotiable?​Effective Communication: Regardless of management style, good communication is key. Managers need strong communication skills to convey your vision, goals, and expectations to their teams. By investing in communication training and development, you can ensure that your management team can effectively convey messages and reduce misunderstandings or conflicts. Retention: High-quality managers play a vital role in retaining top talent. Employees often leave organisations due to issues with their managers. When you invest in your management team, you create a positive work environment and provide opportunities for career growth. This will help retain valuable employees and reduces turnover. Likewise, by highlighting the importance of your managers through investment in training, they will feel valued as an integral part of your leadership team and, in turn, be less likely to leave.  Enhanced Decision-Making and Crisis Management: Managers make critical decisions on a daily basis, ranging from strategic planning and crisis management to day-to-day operations. When your management team is well-trained and informed, they are more likely to make sound decisions that benefit the organisation. Investing in their development can lead to better decision-making and, ultimately, improved business outcomes. Strategic Alignment: A well-trained management team is better equipped to understand and align their efforts with the company's strategic objectives. They can create actionable plans and execute strategies effectively, ensuring that the entire organisation works toward a common goal. Staying ahead of the curve: Managers often bring with them decades of experience, which undoubtedly will provide them with the knowledge and expertise needed to perform to a high standard. However, it is critical to recognise that the workplace is a constantly evolving landscape, especially since the massive shift in employee expectations following the Covid-19 pandemic. Regular management and leadership training can provide an awareness of external factors that may impact the performance of a team or individual, as well as giving your teams the skillet to navigate any opportunities and threats that may arise. Investing in your management team is not an expense, but an investment in the future of your business. Effective leaders can drive growth, improve your culture, and help your company stay competitive in a constantly changing business landscape.  By prioritising the development of your management team, you're not only securing the present but also laying a solid foundation for a successful future. The key is to not see training as a cost, but as an investment, just as you would a new piece of software or machinery.  ​Understand training needs with Team Evaluation Assessments ATA Search's Team Evaluation Assessments is a unique offering to enable you to have a full overview of your current leadership team as well as your leadership pipeline. In partnership with the world-renowned Thomas International, you can have a complete assessment of the strengths, character profile and behavioural traits of your team. Whether you are currently recruiting or not, knowing your teams and the possible skills gap within them will ensure you invest in the right training.  For more information, contact our ATA Search team below.​Ajay BhellaSales Manager at ATA SearchConnect on LinkedInajay.bhella@ata-search.co.uk07827 918 324

Building great relationships is the key with our contractors, and we like to recognise the fantastic service they provide to our clients across the UK.​​To gain insight into the day-to-day life of working as a contractor alongside ATA Recruitment, we interviewed our Contractor of the Quarter, Mark Hickingbotham.​​"Mark has been acting as one of two assigned Site Construction Managers supporting a CDM project, in addition Mark has also Project Managed the repair of a fire damaged public recycling facility, which by nature was an unplanned activity. The work was completed without compromising the daily operations and thereby minimised the impact to the business. Most recently, Mark project managed a time sensitive critical asset replacement, that had several challenges along the way, Mark demonstrated an agile approach to problem solving that ensured the asset was returned to service on time and within budget."Philip Morley, Project Manager, Renewi UK Services Ltd​1. How long have you been a contractor for?I have been a contractor on and off for around 20+ years​2. Why did you decide to go contracting?I became a contractor originally when I finished my apprenticeship, and decided to leave the security of full time employment to try and make more money. Money has always been a motivating factor for most people regardless of age. ​3. What is it you like about contracting?I suppose the major benefit is the better rates, and the flexibility that you have in the work place. If you don't like a particular contract, you can always leave at short notice.​4.What don’t you like about contracting?You only get paid for hours worked and there are no other fringe benefits that you get with permanent positions i.e holiday pay and other allowances.​5. What is the service that you provide?Despite the fact that I am a contractor, I put all my effort in to represent the company that is paying me to the best of my ability. At the workplace you would not be able to distinguish me from a permanent staff member based on my performance.​6. What is the current project you are working on?I am currently working on the rebuild of part of a waste treatment facility that burnt down. As loss adjusters are involved, there is the obvious need to follow certain protocols whilst at the same time attempting to put the facility back into an operational mode as quickly as possible. This in itself makes your job slightly more difficult/interesting.​7. Why do you think it’s a good idea for companies to use contractors? Because of the shortness of contracts, contractors will generally work longer hours, this benefits both parties. ​8. How easy is it to run your own business and be a contractor? Its difficult because you have to employ professional people to look after your accounts and this is at a cost, but you do have the flexibility and ability to to create the time to ensure that your house is in order. If you don't it could be at a financial cost. ​9. How long have you contracted via ATA?Nearly 2 years​10. What is your feedback on the service that ATA providesI have absolutely no complaints with ATA. They have been helpful throughout the time they have been representing me.​Let us match you with contract opportunities that are right for you.​Whether you're experienced as a contractor, or are just wondering how to get started, find out how ATA Recruitment can support you by calling 07827 295 376 or email contract@ata-recruitment.co.uk. Alternatively, complete the form below.​

Looking back on the first half of another successful year for ATA Recruitment​Once a quarter, we get together as a business to reflect on the previous quarter and celebrate the success of our teams and individuals who have clearly demonstrated the 'ATA Way'.​Here at ATA Recruitment, we have a 3-year growth strategy in place and we’re now just 6 months away from delivering what was an extremely challenging target post pandemic/ Brexit. The first half of 2023 has been excellent with our permanent, contract and search teams all well over budget, and our headcount is now at record levels for the business. As part of this plan, we have a strategy for sales, marketing and most importantly, our people. Our attraction and retention strategy (and getting this right) has been pivotal to what we have achieved. So, what are we doing to get this right?​Goal management – we have a 10-tier progression structure for people to move through. Based on hitting your targets over 6 months, you can progress to the next level. I’m pleased to say that so far this year 39% of our consultants have had a promotion, with more to come. I’m pleased to say that all of the trainees we have hired over the last 12 months have all been promoted with zero attrition. Your first step into recruitment is a steep learning curve and not for everyone, so I’m extremely pleased to see the progression and development of our rookies!​On boarding – as part of the ATA Way, we invest a lot of time and effort into the development of our new hires. Through intensive training, weekly 1-2-1’s, quarterly appraisals, plus on the job support, we are proud to say that we have an 100% retention on new hires in 2022-23.​Training – we love training here at ATA Recruitment and it never stops. With our rookies transitioning onto sales, there has been a massive focus on sales training. We have done lots of classroom-based theory, followed up with role plays and on the quad coaching and it’s really paid off with some great new client wins. We also like to empower our seniors to train too, and it was great to see our Sales Manager for ATA Search recently running a 2-hour session on pitching and winning retainers. In addition, our newer managers have begun their ILM Level 3 over the last 2 months as well as members of our senior sales team completing the highly valued 2-day Miller Heinman strategic selling course.​Reward and Recognition - recruitment is tough and the team have excelled this year, so we don’t want to take their efforts for granted. We run quarterly incentives that have seen the winners enjoy hospitality to the races (Doncaster), Michelin Star Fine Dining (Simpsons in Birmingham) and Hospitality at the Premier League Dart (Leeds). This quarter, our team will be competing for a Luxury Spa Day at Ragdale Hall in Melton Mowbray. We also believe it's important to run weekly incentives where the guys can win choose from a selection of prizes as well as rewarding the team for hitting target. Recently both our Leeds and Leicester offices have enjoyed long lunches at nice restaurants with a few drinks. When you spend so much time working together, it’s important to have fun together too!​Agile Working - we know that the 'perfect work - life balance' has a different meaning to each of our team members. It is imperative that our employees feel supported by us to enable them to achieve their full potential, both in the office and at home. As such, we are flexible when it comes to their working situation. We have numerous employees who have various childcare commitments and have worked with them to make sure they have the freedom they need to manage their work - life balance."​Chris Addison, Director at ATA Recruitment​All in all, we have had another fantastic quarter here at ATA Recruitment, and that is down the hard work and dedication of each and every team member. Business has been strong, so we’re already gearing up for the next phase of our growth in 2024. For this we are looking for like-minded individuals in both Leeds and Leicester who are eager to succeed and want to join our ever-growing teams. To find out more, please get in touch using the contact form below.​​ 

​Reasons to hire an Executive Interim Manager​According to the institute of interim management, 73% of interim managers have sourced one or more of their assignments via a recruitment business and the most common reason companies recruit interim managers is business change and transformation of an underperforming company.​The launch of ATA Recruitment’s Interim division has improved our overall offering to all of our clients. ATA Recruitment can now provide an Interim solution from hands on engineering right up to senior management roles. ​An Interim Manager is a key solution for companies that are in a position where they need an individual in a business-critical role to help evade a crisis. Interim Managers are a fantastic flexible option that can be supplied quickly using ATA Recruitments Interim database. ATA Recruitment currently has well over 2,500 interim managers that have been registered, this will give you confidence that ATA Recruitment can supply high quality people in a short timeframe.​In the 6 months since ATA Recruitment launched their interim division, there has been an excellent uptake from our existing and new clients to engage with us to help fill business critical roles at speed. ​Interim managers can be used in a variety of situations. I have detailed below five common scenarios we have encountered over the last 6 months.​1.      Losing a senior manager from the businessLosing a key executive can be a challenging and disruptive event for any organisation, particularly if it is unexpected. In such situations, interim managers can provide a valuable stop-gap solution by stepping in to take over the role and ensure that critical work is not put on hold while a replacement is found.Interim managers can also provide additional benefits in these situations by developing the role further. They bring a wealth of experience and skills to the organisation, which can help to identify areas for improvement and make recommendations for change. This can help to ensure that the role is not only covered in the short term but also enhanced over the long term.Additionally, an interim manager can help to alleviate any uncertainty or anxiety that may arise due to the loss of a key executive. They can provide a sense of stability and reassurance to the organisation, allowing the rest of the team to focus on their work without worrying about the impact of the executive's departure.​2.      Struggling to fill the vacant position with a permanent senior managerRecruiting a permanent senior manager is a crucial decision for any organisation, as the role typically involves significant responsibilities and long-term impact on the company's direction. However, if you are facing challenges in finding the right permanent candidate, bringing in an interim manager can indeed be a viable solution. Here's why:Immediate Support: An interim manager can step into the role quickly, providing immediate leadership and stability to the team. This can prevent any leadership void and ensure that important projects and initiatives continue to progress without interruption.Time to Search: Recruiting a senior manager can take time due to the need for thorough evaluation and selection. An interim manager can fill the role while you continue your search for the perfect permanent candidate, alleviating pressure and allowing you to make a well-informed decision.Proven Experience: Interim managers often have a track record of successfully managing similar roles in various organisations. This experience can be leveraged to address specific challenges or implement necessary changes effectively.Training and Transition: When the right permanent candidate is eventually found, the interim manager can assist in a smooth transition. They can share insights, knowledge, and help the new manager get up to speed more quickly. 3.      Turnaround / Business Change / TransformationTurnaround management is one of the most common scenarios that interim managers are most commonly associated with. It typically involves bringing in an experienced professional to lead a struggling organisation through a period of crisis or significant change.In a turnaround situation, an interim manager needs to be able to take charge from day one and provide a clear direction for the organisation. They need to be able to quickly assess the situation, identify the root causes of the problems, and develop and implement a plan to address them. They also need to be able to communicate effectively with all stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and investors.Senior interim managers are often ideal for this type of job as they have the skills and experience necessary to lead an organisation through a crisis. They can provide a steady hand making tough decisions and implementing changes as needed. They can also achieve quick wins that boost morale and provide a sense of progress and momentum for the organisation.Overall, turnaround management is a challenging but rewarding role for an interim manager. It requires strong leadership skills, the ability to think strategically and act decisively, and the resilience to handle the pressures and uncertainties that come with leading an organization through a period of crisis or significant change.​4.      Crisis ManagementCrisis management requires a particular set of skills and experience to navigate successfully. An interim manager with a proven track record in crisis management can provide the necessary calmness, perspective, and expertise to help a company weather a crisis.Interim managers can also bring a fresh perspective to a crisis, which can be helpful in identifying and addressing underlying issues that may have contributed to the crisis. They can help to stabilise the situation, mitigate risks, and develop and execute a plan to resolve the crisis.Moreover, interim managers are often brought in to provide leadership during a transitional period, such as when an executive has left unexpectedly, and a new leader has not yet been appointed. In such situations, an interim manager can provide continuity of leadership and ensure that critical business operations continue to function smoothly.In summary, an experienced interim manager can be an asset to a company in crisis, providing the leadership, expertise, and perspective necessary to navigate the situation successfully.​5.      AcquisitionDuring an acquisition, firms often require the expertise of specialists who have experience in navigating similar situations. Interim managers can provide valuable support in such scenarios by helping the company to achieve its goals more efficiently and effectively.One of the common projects during an acquisition or integration program is shedding or recruiting staff. Interim managers can help to identify the right candidates for the organisation and provide support throughout the recruitment process.Interim managers can also play a critical role in providing reassurance and ensuring that all sides know what is going on during an acquisition. They can help to establish clear lines of communication between the various stakeholders involved and provide regular updates on progress, issues, and risks.In summary, interim managers with experience in acquisitions can provide valuable support to companies looking to navigate these complex processes. They can help to ensure that the process runs smoothly, that all employees are treated fairly and legally, and that clear lines of communication are established between all stakeholders.Being an Interim Service Provider in the engineering, manufacturing and FMCG sectors has seen ATA Recruitment able to provide a solution to all technical assignment within an organisation. This has put ATA Recruitment in an unenviable position and our clients are taking advantage of this extra capability. ​If you require an Interim to help you through a difficult then please get in contact with Robert Weatherhead on the details below:07827 256 611robert.weatherhead@ata-recruitment.co.ukConnect with Rob on LinkedIn​

ATA Recruitment's Half Year Maintenance Salary Report 2023 is available to download​With nearly 60 years experience in the provision of recruitment solutions for manufacturing and engineering, ATA Recruitment has established itself as a market leader. We pride ourselves on providing service with real added value and as part this we like to share our market intelligence and insights with our customers. ​You may have seen our previous survey detailing the average salaries for Maintenance Engineers in 2022. We have been providing these reports annually for 6 years now, however due to the current climate and the rapid rise in salaries we are now producing a half year report to give you the latest real time data. ​​The data we have collected has come from a large cross section of the market for both SME’s and large blue chips in industries such as, Food, Automated Distribution, Construction Materials, FMCG, and General Manufacturing. We hope it gives you a benchmark for where you are in the market, please get in touch to discuss the findings of this report in more detail.​Download the Half Year Maintenance Salary Report 2023​​​By submitting the above form, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy.​​Get in touch​If you would like to discuss the findings of the report in more detail or if you’re looking for an engineering recruitment specialist to support your business, get in touch with ATA Recruitment. ​If you're looking for a job or want to hear about future opportunities, sign up to tailored job alerts and our blog to receive more content like this straight in your inbox.​​By submitting the above form, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

​'Designing' your recruitment strategy in 2023​The current recruitment market for Design Engineers continues to provide ongoing challenges for companies, with demand heavily outweighing availability of talent in the market. IMechE references that at the end of 2022, there was shortage of 173,000 people across all STEM roles with 49% of engineering business expressing difficulty in recruiting.​One of the cornerstones of ATA Recruitment’s white collar offering is the provision of Mechanical Design Engineers into the automation, system integration and special purpose machinery sectors.​Apart from the sudden surge of candidates into the market during the initial period of the pandemic, we have seen the balance of supply and demand continue to become more challenging for companies. From 2022 to 2023 we have already seen a 20% increase in time to hire figures highlighting the increased difficulty in identifying top engineering talent.​As a result of these trends, we are constantly consulting with and advising our customers about market conditions and encouraging them to think broadly and to be as open minded as possible when defining the requirements for candidates to fill their roles.​As part of The ATA Way (our set of values), we strive to Add Value and provide some insight into what companies are placing the most importance on when hiring. We wanted to understand if the Specific CAD package, Product Experience or the Personal Characteristics of the individual being hired were more critical for a successful hire.​From our 2023 data on Design Engineers we have placed we have found:​Only 40% of the Design Engineers we placed had expertise in the CAD Package required by the hiring company70% of the candidates had experience that was very closely aligned to specific equipment or machinery required within the roleOnly 20% of the candidates being placed fulfilled both of these criteria together​The data suggest that companies are having to make a choice whether to offer training and development for either the specific CAD Package used within the role, or to give their new hires the time required to gain the knowledge of the technical specifics for the equipment or machinery the company designs.​In all these cases, companies are then having to be confident that the long term fit of the person with the business is also a great match to ensure the time spent training and developing is coupled with someone they can retain in the businesses for the long term.​Interestingly, 90% of the roles filled offered some form of hybrid or agile working structure with the popular choice being offering one to two days working from home per week to allow people to strike the right work life balance. In some cases, this has been crucial for companies filling roles with candidates being willing to travel a distance for three days per week that they would not choose to for a fully office based role.​In summary, it’s clear when hiring in the design engineering space currently that companies need to have some compromise in mind and need to ask themselves it the product experience or CAD package experience is more important to them. We will re-visit these figures further down the line to see how these trends continue.​Stewart JacksonAssociate Director at ATA RecruitmentConnect on LinkedInstewart.jackson@ata-recruitment.co.uk07827 295 740

The impact of the skills shortage on the maintenance recruitment market​"There is an estimated shortfall of over 173,000 workers in STEM sectors, the The Institution of Engineering and Technology have released in a recent report – an average of 10 unfilled roles per business in the UK, costing the economy a “shocking” £1.5bn each year. 49% of engineering businesses are experiencing difficulties recruiting workers with the skills they need." (Source: IMechE).​As experts in maintenance, this comes as no surprise to us here at ATA Recruitment. We have seen more and more demand from our clients across the UK over the past 18 months to support them with the growing need for more talent within their businesses. ​Part of The ATA Way (our set of values) is “Adding Value”. We pride ourselves on our ability to generate market data to support our customers in their recruitment and retention (​​we’ve been producing Salary Survey reports for a number of years now, breaking down salaries by region, technical bias, industry and shift pattern.)​To help employers navigate this turbulent market, we have explored just how this shift has had an impact on the maintenance recruitment space, including the change in the average length of service of a Maintenance Engineer during a skills shortage.​Having analysed our last 50 maintenance placements, I was surprised to see the 38% of the Maintenance Engineers we’ve placed have been in the last role for less than 1 year, and a further 20% had less than 2 years’ service. ​So, with 58% moving roles within such a short period it poses the following questions, are Engineers making the right decisions when accepting roles?​Is it the case that if the role isn’t as sold and with so many roles available, they are less willing to give the role time?Are they making their decision solely based on money?Are candidates starting roles and continuing to look just in case there might be something better out there?Is it the cost-of-living crisis that is forcing Engineers to move around to maximise their earning potential?​It’s hard to know, but from the data our last candidate survey generated, 36% said that money was the key reason why they were looking to move. The fact that this has dropped to 26% suggests that although it’s still important, the need for a good work life balance and working a shift that suits is once again becoming more prominent (in fact, our survey shows that this has actually increased from 33% to 42%).​In addition, 72% of those Maintenance Engineers have actually changed shifts when accepting a new role.​​So as an employer, what do you do?​Ask yourself the question how good is your onboarding, training and development? Are the team making new starters feel welcome? Are you delivering what you promised in the interview?Are you getting the assessment right at interview stage? Is the candidate joining you for the right reasons?Are you getting the remuneration of your existing team right? If they feel valued they won’t be looking for a change.​​Get in touch​​If you're not confident with your answers to these questions, this will be having an impact on your ability to attract, recruit, develop and retain. We at ATA Recruitment become an extension of your business, ensuring we delve deep into the pain points of your teams and support you with tailored talent solutions that will last throughout the skills shortage and beyond. Please contact me on my details below or complete the form below to start a discussion with our team.​Chris AddisonDirector at ATA RecruitmentConnect on LinkedInchristian.addison@ata-recruitment.co.uk07787 289 367​