Skills Shortage Answers:
The Obvious Solutions

Technical Recruitment Agencies, Targeted Advertising, Improved Pay and Understanding What Skills are in Demand

The Skills Shortage in Manufacturing is Now Critical…Fact!

 OK so what are you going to do about it? This section includes some great skills shortage answers data-custom-mark="true"to combat this problem. Here’s how you can make a real difference and get the skills to benefit you and your business… 

The Obvious Stuff….

Skills Shortage Answers:

Employment Websites and Technical Recruitments Agencies

Have you got vacancies that are hard to fill? Perhaps you’ve advertised but have had few or no applicants? Review what you are doing. Use a broader range of technical recruitment agencies and employment websites. When drafting an advert describing a role you wish to fill, look at the way similar positions are advertised by others. Are their words and phrases more likely to appeal or more commonly used? Most of this can be done quickly and conveniently on-line

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Skills Shortage Answers:

Targeted Advertising

Are you sure you are advertising in the most appropriate places? As well as online recruitment agencies, try the local and regional press. Consider trade associations where firms have similar skills. What about appropriate sector or industry publications? You and your colleagues probably receive a number of these journals. Look at the jobs section and the instructions provided if you wish to advertise. Find out their rates and circulation. Again it may be necessary to review the content of your adverts. Finally search online to quickly get the information you need.

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Skills Shortage Answers:

Improved Pay and Understanding What Skills are in Demand 

This expensive option may be necessary to fill vacancies. In the worst case scenario it may be necessary to pay more than the market rate to attract skills. Be aware of the potential of wage inflation for other roles within the firm, or at least requests for wage increases.

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Before we get into more substantial methods of fundamentally resolving your skills shortage, what sort of skills are we talking about?

What skills do manufacturing companies require? 

Findings by the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technology (Semta) determined 70% of engineering establishments carrying vacancies have technical skills gaps, mainly among their core technical workforce (professional engineers, technicians, craftsmen and operatives). The skills gaps in these technical roles have the most significant impact on the business. In addition, specific leadership and management training is considered to be the foundation of good management practice required for any company to build a more robust and competitive business.

In terms of specific skills Semta concluded the main skills cited as lacking in employees in engineering, were technical and engineering skills at all levels (68% of those engineering organisation reporting skill gaps). The main technical skills gaps for the Engineering sector were CNC machine operations, Computer Aided Design (CAD), welding skills, assembly line/production, robotics, tool setting and general engineering skills. The generic (non-technical) skills gaps highlighted were key or core personal skills, management skills, IT/computer skills and marketing or selling skills.

Is it possible to find out the market rate for these skills – certainly the technical ones? Again, review technical recruitment agency websites for common rates for a given position. Why not pick up the phone and ask them?

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Manufacturing Skills Shortages in the U.S. - A situation mirrored across the developed world. 

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Back to Skills Shortage is Critical 

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