Plugging the Skills Gap

Plugging the Skills Gap: 3 Ways Businesses Can Find the Talent They Need
The UK job market has seen a decline in vacancy numbers since June 22, where it peaked at 1.3m. That said, there are still around 1 million vacancies live across the UK, with many businesses struggling to find the right talent. This is especially true in the tech sector where a staggering 95% of companies report difficulty filling roles.

So, how can businesses bridge this widening skills gap and recruit the people they need to succeed? Here are 3 strategies:

1. Invest in Upskilling Your Existing Workforce:

Before looking outwards, look inwards. Your current employees are your greatest asset. Consider investing in upskilling programs that can equip them with the latest skills. This not only benefits the company by fostering a more adaptable workforce, but also boosts employee morale and retention.

• Implement training programs focused on in-demand technical skills like cybersecurity, data analysis, cloud computing, software development and so on.
• Offer soft skills training to enhance communication, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities. This is especially useful to technology leaders that will be supporting in the training and development of colleagues.
• Create a culture of continuous learning by offering access to online resources, conferences, or certifications. Utilise training platforms like Pluralsight, Codemy and similar online course providers.

As Sir Richard Branson said - “Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don't want to”

 

2. Rethink Your Recruitment Strategy:

The traditional recruitment model might not be enough. Here's how to expand your talent pool:

• Focus on potential, not just experience: Look for candidates who demonstrate a strong learning mindset and a willingness to adapt, even if their exact experience doesn't perfectly match the job description.
• Embrace diversity and inclusion: By actively seeking talent from underrepresented groups, you'll tap into a wider pool of qualified individuals and bring valuable fresh perspectives to your team.
• Leverage alternative recruitment methods: Explore online platforms catering to specific skill sets, or partner with universities or training providers with strong tech programs.
• Partner with a specialist Recruitment Consultancy for specific support

 

3. Highlight Your Company Culture:

In today's competitive market, a strong company culture is a powerful recruitment tool.

• Showcase your company's values and mission, and how your work environment fosters growth and development.
• Offer competitive benefits packages that cater to work-life balance and employee well-being.
• Emphasise opportunities for career progression and learning within your organization.
• Be flexible in your approach to working patterns. Can you enable part-time, fully remote, flexible hours and so on.

Check out our other blog “How to Attract Candidates to Your Business” that talks about Employer Value Proposition and talent attraction strategies.

Areas of opportunity that we see:

• Studies have shown that each academic year there are almost 100k university graduates that are unemployed, that’s 13% of students leaving their studies who are highly educated, with a learning mentality that could be trained and developed. 
• There is a huge population of migrant workers with exceptional skills that could also be utilised to fill these gaps. Understanding the current Visa regulations, and potentially sponsoring overseas workers would be a worthwhile investment of time.
• Part-time, and flexible working. Not only is there a skills gap in tech, there is also an opportunity for greater diversity. Look to find ways that you and your business can adapt to enable flexible or remote working, reduced or compressed hours and so on.

To conclude:
By focusing on upskilling your current workforce, diversifying your recruitment methods, and building a positive company culture, businesses can bridge the skills gap and attract the top talent they need to thrive in the UK's dynamic job market.

How can Synergy help?
As the recruitment partner of choice for so many businesses across different sectors in East Anglia, we help our clients find the skills they need through high quality, simple service that gets results.

We offer almost 2 decades of combined experience and industry insight that enables our clients to do what they do best, whilst we take care of recruitment. Our passion lies in working with local people and businesses, as we get to see the value we bring and the difference we make to clients and candidates, and we thrive off the positive responses from both our clients and candidates.

Synergy offers a wide range of recruitment services, from free salary benchmarking and market analysis to one off recruitment and full scale retained search and selection campaign recruitment for high level or high-volume recruitment. We have a tailored recruitment solution that will work for you.

Don’t just take our word for it, check out what our customers say in our 5-star Google reviews.

Get in touch for more details about how we can help you, and a no obligation confidential conversation - 01603 542300 or info@synergy-rec.com.

 

Credit CSI Limited, Statista, Computer Weekly