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​Post-Pandemic Attraction and Retention​With over 1.2 million unfilled vacancies across the UK economy and the worst skills shortage since 1997 many companies are struggling to fill roles.​So far in this series, we have examined the risks associated in a candidate short market and how getting your recruitment policy right can help. Today we are going to look at attraction and retention strategies.​A recent study by the Open University stated that 67% companies have put their salaries up at a cost of 2.16 million to help solve the problem, but is this the right answer? Will throwing money at people guarantee getting someone to not only join, but more importantly stay with your business? It may, but there are many more options available that are equally as critical in candidate attraction and retention.​6 key elements of candidate attraction and retention An interview is a 2-way processAt Interview take the time to show the candidate what you can offer them as employee. All too often hiring managers spend so long trying to assess if the person has the right skills and experience to fulfil the role, they forget to sell the opportunity to the candidate. In the current climate, many candidates will have more than one offer on the table, so take the time to show them why you’re a great company to work for.​Training and developmentEngineers love to develop new skills. Have you thought about what training you offer? Is it internal or external? Can you offer extra qualifications or courses? Putting an Engineer through a Level 3, HNC, HND degree will certainly tie an employee in for several years.​Progression​What can you offer? Don’t just tell a candidate that all roles are advertised internally, and they can apply. Show them what’s available and realistically what they can achieve. Do you have examples of how others have progressed, what home grown success stories do you have? Don’t over sell as if you don’t deliver, you’ll create a reason for leaving. If you have a flat structure, is it worth introducing a banding system where an engineer can improve their package, skills and responsibilities based on length of service and/or demonstrating a level of competence.​CultureWhat’s great about your business? Is it length of service of the team? Is it the forums you run so people can voice their opinion? Is it the great work you do for charities in the local community? Is it the social element? Is it the way the team supports each other?​Company visionMake sure you share the vision and plans for the business, investment in new machinery, systems, and people. If a candidate feels like the future is bright and the business is stable, then you’ll instantly create more tie in.​Invest in your leadership teamHow many people step into management due to either length of service, product, market, process knowledge, or just pure potential? Quite often those that step must trade on abilities but don’t necessarily get structured management and leadership training. What does that mean for their stress levels? How effective are they? What’s the impact on the team, retention, staff turnover, performance, profitability? Businesses all to often focus their attention on new hires or those at the coal face as managers will always “get on with it” but don’t assume it. A person’s loyalty will only last so long. A motivated, engaged, and competent leadership team will always yield great return on investment​It’s time to attract, hire and retain the best talent ​Attracting candidates is hard at present, that’s no industry secret, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that once you’ve got candidates to interview that your work is over. It’s essential that you consider your retention strategy, not just your attraction strategy. Could your business use the actions above to improve your recruitment for 2022 and beyond? ​It’s true, there is a lot to pick apart here. With the holiday period soon approaching, you need to remain ahead of the curve and take the time to implement any changes required. ​As an extension to your business, ATA Recruitment can provide you with the support you need to establish your unique retention strategy. Then, with access to our talent pool of over 48,000 engineers, we will not only get you through this candidate shortage, but help you thrive above and beyond your competition. ​Why ATA Recruitment? We have over 50 years'​ experience in providing the highest quality engineering recruitment solutions, supporting some of the biggest names in the industry hire and retain the best talent through candidate shortages such as this. ​To have a conversation with our expert consultants, or to discuss any points made in this article, please get in touch today.  To discuss the details of this article in more detail, get in touch with ATA Recruitment Director, Chris Addison.​Email: christian.addison@ata-recruitment.co.ukTelephone: 07787 289 367

​Direct Education Business Partnership – DEBP– have joined forces with ATA Recruitment and Ganymede Solutions to deliver a Brand Me event with 30 students from Belper School and Sixth Form on Wednesday 17 November 2021 at Derby Conference Centre.​The event aims to give students CV writing tips, interview practice and looks at how to use social media to increase skill set and much more!​Paul Brumby, Head of Sixth Form at Belper School and Sixth Form said, “We’re delighted to have this excellent opportunity. It will provide students with an invaluable insight into the variety of ways they can present themselves for future employment. The chance to meet face to face with professionals from industry is just the experience they need especially after these difficult times.” ​Prior to the event, students will attend a virtual CV guidance workshop and be asked to prepare their own CV. On the day itself students will take part in a:​Critique session on the CV’s created and how they could be improved.LinkedIn profile building session.Session on what makes a good interview followed by interview preparation.Real interviews with staff from DEBP and Ganymede.​Claire Bergmann, STEM Projects Officer said,“It has been fantastic to work with Ganymede / ATA Recruitment to pull this event together. I have worked with Kelly Tallis, an active STEM Ambassador, for the last eight months, and her passion to inspire our future generation is clear to see. Meaningful encounters with employers and the world of work are incredibly important, and many students missed out on these opportunities due to the pandemic. This event is a great opportunity for students to develop their skills and confidence to help prepare them for employment.”​Kelly Tallis, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Ganymede and ATA Recruitment said, “It has been a real pleasure working collaboratively with DEBP to create and host the Brand Me event. We are passionate about supporting and engaging with our local communities. Young people have really been impacted during the pandemic and it is great that we can share our recruitment expertise to help students to increase their confidence and skills for their next chapter.”​All students will receive a LinkedIn endorsement from Ganymede Solutionsfor the skills they have demonstrated. This not only contributes to the strength of their LinkedIn profiles but increases the likelihood of being discovered for opportunities related to the skills possessed.

​​ATA Recruitment are excited to announce the launch of our new Managed Service Provision platform, Engage.​ATA Engage is the technology platform that drives our Managed Service Provision. ​It centralises all of your recruitment & workforce management functions into one, user-friendly system – minimising time wasted on recruitment processes, and maximising time spent growing your business.​Paul Crompton, Managing Director explains “We invested in ATA Engage to provide a technology solution which naturally compliments our recruitment and workforce management offering. ATA Engage will provide our clients with complete visibility and control of their recruitment activities and temporary workforce through a cloud based platform, delivering efficiencies and maximising access to the best talent available.” ​Visit our Engage hub to learn more​Get in touch ​​

Are you giving yourself enough choice when recruiting?​With the skill shortage at its worst since 1997, staff availability having reduced at its quickest rate in history and with over 1 million vacancies open across the UK economy currently (a 20-year high) the knock effect has been huge. According to a recent report by the Open University:​​67% of employers have had to put their salaries up to compete for talent at a cost of £2.16 billion 47% have said that failure to attract the right talent has had a serious impact of business agility and performance51% have left vacancies unfilledThe average time to fill a role currently sits at 1 month and 22 days. If you then add in an average 1-month notice period roles are remaining empty for an average of nearly 3 months​So rather than just increase salaries to try and attract top talent, how about considering changing your recruitment policy and therefore not only giving you more options, but hopefully saving you time and money too.​So, what is recruitment policy? Here at ATA, we break it down into 3 key areas:​​Physical facts – typically this will cover qualifications, knowledge, length, and type of experienceSkills – this is skills a person has developed during their career to date, for example using a particular 3D design package such as Inventor, or how a maintenance engineer might fault find using a PLCMotivations and Aspirations – this is what makes the person unique, it’s what drives them and makes them the person they are​Let’s discuss physical facts. In the current climate with many companies experiencing increased demand whilst being short on head count, the natural reaction would be to try and hire with the relevant physical facts, a round peg for a round hole if you will. If you can find these people, then great as they will “hit the ground running” needing minimal training and support. However, for me recruiting based on physical facts comes with associated risk. How long will it take you to find that person? With the industry norm on time to hire being nearly 2 months, what’s the impact on your team of having that role being left vacant? How many engineers are demotivated right now with the amount over time they are having to do to cover the gap? Could the added pressure actually lead to you losing another member of staff? Also, when recruiting from the industry the risk of counter offer instantly goes up, if the person you are hiring is of the right quality then their current employer will fight to retain them and will certainly incentivise them to stay. If this does happen then you’re right back to square one.​What about skills? Just because an Engineer has 10 years’ experience in a role, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee they are the right fit for your business, so what’s the alternative? We encourage our clients to think about transferable skills rather than experience. If an engineer can demonstrate that they have the key competences to do the role as long as they get the right support and development, then instantly you will have more candidates to choose from and typically hire faster.​And motivations? If you then couple skills with identifying the right personal traits that fit your business, i.e. honesty, work ethic, ability and desire to learn, if you can find the right transferable skills and the right motivations and aspirations then we find our clients hire quicker, make better decisions, the time and money they save not waiting for their ideal industry candidate can be better spent training and developing those transferable skills and making the most of their motivations and aspirations.​All the above is great in theory, but actions speak louder than words. Can ATA prove that this way of thinking actually works? We’d like to think so. So far this year:​We’ve filled 51% of our vacancies once interviews have taken placeWe give each customer on average 3.5 qualified CVs for each role. (Each candidate has been fully interviewed for at least an hour)On average 2.4 interviews take place per role to make a placementOur time to hire is 22 days, a whole month quicker than the industry average.​Now is the time, if you have vacancies to understand your marketplace of candidates, possibilities available and ultimately reduce the time (and costs) of vacancies. Work with us on your Recruitment Policy and uncover the opportunities of new candidates ready and available to you.​To discuss the details of this article in more detail, get in touch with ATA Recruitment Director, Chris Addison. ​Email: christian.addison@ata-recruitment.co.ukTelephone: 07787 289 367

Bounce back with ATA Recruitment Contractors​According to a report compiled by REC and KPMG, the UK is facing the worst staff shortages since the late 1990s. Whilst this is across several industries, it is hitting the manufacturing and engineering sectors particularly hard. The demand for engineering and manufacturing staff is at its highest for several years and this is causing companies major issues keeping up with orders.​According to a recent report from the Open University:47% have said that failure to attract the right talent has had a serious impact of business agility and performance51% of permanent vacancies have been left unfilledThe industries average time to hire currently is 52 days, add 1 month notice could lead to 3 months to hire somebody. A contractor is a perfect stop gap solution until that person starts.Hiring permanent engineers continues to be difficult, not only because of the shortage of engineers but also due to engineers not wanting to move roles in these uncertain times. Whilst it’s a challenge to recruit permanent engineers, a lot of companies are turning to contractors and temporary engineers to help plug the gap they are currently experiencing. This is a quick way to solve your staffing problems and is an easy, flexible, high-quality solution and here at ATA Recruitment we can help you with that. ​In the last 3 months, we have experienced a high increase in demand for contractors.The number of contract vacancies we have been briefed on by clients has doubled from Q1 to Q2The number of contractors working through ATA has increased by 47%ATA’s contract division is highly efficient and we continue to place around 60% of the vacancies we are briefed on.​How hiring an engineering contractor can help you as demand has increased​Hiring contractors is a great strategy to increase skills and grow teams especially when requirements are constantly changing. Contractors can be extremely useful in times through a permanent skill shortage as businesses try to keep up with demand for their product. There are many benefits that contractors can provide to your organisation, and we’ve outlined them all for you here:​1.ATA has a large pool of skilled engineering contractors available​We have been supporting the manufacturing industry for decades, which means we have built up an extensive database of contractors for our clients. We have contractors available across all types of roles, so whether it’s a hands-on manufacturing role or a senior appointment you need, ATA is able to deliver contractors suited to your exact requirements.​2.​Reduced time to hire​ATA Contract has an average time to hire of 4.5 days from vacancy brief to offer acceptance. This shows that you can access those niche-skills quickly, making your business flexible and ready to cope with increases and decreases in demand.​3.Contractors are a flexible resourceThe great benefit of using contractors is that you can engage with them quickly and release them quickly. Usually, contractors have a very short notice period and the process to let them go isn’t complex, you are paying for a service and if you decide you no longer need that service, you can stop using it. Contractors understand the nature of this and know they could one day be engaged on a contract and the next let go.​4.It isn’t as expensive as you thinkIt’s impossible to determine the cost of hiring an engineering contractor – this will completely depend on the experience they have, the work required, and the sector they’ll be operating in. Remember when you are recruiting somebody permanent, the estimated additional costs on top of the salary are 33%, which includes employers NI, holiday pay, sick pay and other benefits, this is usually reflected in the contractors hourly rate along with some additional compensation for lack of long term security. The contractor is only paid for the time they work, which is great value for money, considering how sickness pay alone can impact your annual salary bill.​5. Payroll is coveredContractors are typically paid weekly, and we have a fantastic back office team that manages this all for you. All you have to do is approve the timesheets and we’ll do the rest. We will make sure there are no issues with the contractors pay and any queries will be dealt with by the team directly with the contractor.​6.Risk mitigated by ATA RecruitmentOur compliance team are excellent at mitigating risk, we have everything covered from making the sure the contractors have the right level of insurance through to advice on IR35. Our consultants are fully trained to offer your business advice on a process to allow you to arrive at the correct SDS (Status Determination Statement) for the contractor.​If you would like to find out more about how a contractor can support your business, whether it’s now or something you may be considering for the future, please contact us by completing the form below or emailing info@ata-recruitment.co.uk. We would love to hear from you and discuss how we could help you.​​

Post Pandemic Recruitment Challenges ​​What a difference a year makes! At the height of the pandemic in 2020, the majority of companies had stopped all recruitment and candidate availability was the through the roof, primarily due to furlough and redundancies. ​Fast forward 18 months, and according to a recent article by the Guardian, the UK economy is experiencing its worst labour shortage since 1997. Staff availability has reduced at the quickest rate on record and from January to July 2021 there’s been a 200% increase in vacancies being advertised online. As a result, it’s safe to say the demand is certainly outstripping supply right now.​What is causing this reduction in candidate availability? ​The obvious reason behind this reduction in candidate availability is that 1.3 million non-UK workers have left these shores through the pandemic due to Brexit, which has, of course, created a huge gap in the market. ​In terms of the remaining UK workforce, there is still a lack of confidence in the market as candidates continue to remain with their current employers for fear of losing their comfort blanket of furlough. Similarly, to many, the risk of changing roles appears just too great in the current climate. ​Alternatively, those that are looking to test to the water are only willing to move for improved working conditions and package(read our Candidate Survey 2020) which presents a whole of different set challenges for employers.​What’s the knock effect of this for employers? In a recent report by the Open University, they’ve stated that: 67% of employers have had to put their salaries up to compete for talent at a cost of £2.16 billion 47% have said that failure to attract the right talent has had a serious impact of business agility and performance51% have left vacancies unfilledThe average time to fill a role currently sits at 1 month and 22 days. If you then add in an average 1 month notice period, roles are remaining empty for an average of nearly 3 months ​How will employers now combat these issues, what are the options available? Hiring graduate and apprentices? Both make sense as they are low-cost solutions based on salaries, but high cost based on training and the length of time before the reach full competenceTemporary or contract solutions to plug a gap? Short term this makes complete sense and it’s maybe not as expensive as you might think. Read our blog on Bouncing Back with ATA Contractors.Alternatively, employers can be looking at their recruitment policies, is now the time to look at skills rather than experience? looking at recruiting from different industries than they’ve previously hired from? Finally assessing their attraction strategy, just offering a good salary isn’t enough, training, development, further education, progression, working conditions and culture are what makes the difference in not only recruitment but retention too​As employers, it is a unique position we see ourselves in considering the landscape of the market just 18 months ago. There’s so much to consider; candidate shortages, IR35 and Brexit implications; especially as employers devise their talent acquisition and retention strategies for 2022. I’ll be tackling some of these issues in more detail in my next blog, giving you further insight into how your organisation can effectively engage with the candidate market and set yourselves apart as an employer of choice.To discuss the details of this article in more detail, get in touch with ATA Recruitment Director, Chris Addison. ​Email: christian.addison@ata-recruitment.co.ukTelephone: 07787 289 367

​Now that the changes to the off-payroll legislation have come into force, how have businesses and contractors been affected and what will this do to the contract and interim market in the future?​There was a great deal of concern about how companies would deal with the changes and even with the extension of the deadline due to Coronavirus, companies were still leaving it until the last minute to make status determination statements for their existing contractors. ​I worked with several different businesses in the run up to April 6th 2021 and most of them used two different approaches. Some companies opted for a blanket refusal to engage with PSC’s (Ltd Companies) or determining that all contractors were Inside IR35, whilst the rest worked collaboratively with their contractors and the hiring managers to understand the working arrangements (SDC), the financial risk involved for the contractor, engaging a substitute and mutuality of obligation. ​What immediate changes have we seen in the market?​Moving forward now, the market seems to have instantly changed and there has been a large reduction in Outside IR35 roles advertised in the market. On CV Library for example, there are currently 1806 contract engineering jobs across the UK that have been advertised in the last 28 days, only 66 specifically state that the contract is “Outside IR35”. ​A large percentage of clients are only looking to engage with contractors / temporary workers that will now look at “Inside IR35” contracts and be paid on a PAYE basis to ensure they are not exposed to any risk. Whilst this is a massive negative for PSC’s that want to continue with their Ltd company status, it hasn’t reduced the number of contractors / temporary workers applying for contracts. ​PSC’s have been hit doubly hard with the market shrinking due to Coronavirus and the changes in the off-payroll legislation reducing those roles Outside IR35. It has really played into HMRC’s hands as whilst demand for engineering contractors is increasing, there are more than enough people on the market that will consider Inside IR35 contracts or are looking at permanent opportunities. ​For instance, in the last 4 weeks ATA Recruitment have advertised Inside IR35 and Outside IR35 maintenance and design roles, the response has pretty much been equal and the response from contractors is that they don’t feel like they have any choice other than to look at Inside IR35 contracts or at permanent staff roles. ​What do our customers say?​One contractor who has run his own PSC for the last 20 years said “I feel like I have no option now other than to look for a permanent staff role, I will consider an Inside IR35 contract, but it will have to be paid PAYE as I will be shutting down my limited company over the next few weeks once all my invoices have been paid.”​Companies still want a flexible workforce, although only a few companies are taking the route of completing an SDS for each role, they are unlikely to find it difficult to find contractors that will take either an Inside IR35 or Outside IR35 as contractors just aren’t voting with their feet currently. One company we worked with in the lead up to April 6th have said the following. ​“Our flexible workforce is an important part of our business. Before the legislation changed, we conducted a full IR35 status assessment of our current contractors. Our focus is now on continuing to ensure we are compliant with IR35, which is an ongoing process. ​We have reviewed our process for renewing terms with current contractors and for engaging new contractors. As each new assignment requires a new status assessment, we have adopted a pro-active approach to ensure that working practices agreed are reflected in the written agreements. This will help us mitigate the IR35 risk effectively and ensure we are fully compliant." HR Manager – Automation Manufacturer.​This company are taking a pro-active approach to contractors moving forward and this is really refreshing to see. Hopefully other companies will take this route when the market changes and as demand increases and supply decreases, companies will utilise limited company contractors in the right way and make fair assessments based on the contract they are carrying out, their working arrangements and the limited companies financial risk. ​What will happen next?​Limited company contractors are so important to the engineering and manufacturing sectors and they are key to the growth of our economy. Maintaining a flexible workforce is essential for a lot of companies currently as there is still a great deal of uncertainty in the market due to Coronavirus. I believe once everything has calmed down, there will be a more pro-active approach taken by companies in making individual SDS’s when they engage with Limited Company Contractors, I just hope there will be enough of these contractors out there and with any luck, they have not all closed their Limited companies. ​If you are a company looking for a contractor / temporary worker or a contractor looking for a new contract, then please get in touch with Steve Harrhy:07827 295 376steve.harry@ata-recruitment.co.ukVisit Steve's profile​