How to Embrace the Challenge of Skills Shortages within the Fire, Security, Lifts and Escalator Sectors

An issue that is often faced in the recruitment sector is a skill shortage; there are too few experienced and specialised experts and too many spaces where that experience and skill is desperately needed, especially within the Fire, Security, Lifts and Escalators industry. 

It's currently 2020 and the pandemic that is Covid-19, has exacerbated this skill shortage. Yes, unemployment is on the rise, and yes there are more people searching for jobs. But this doesn’t equate to having more people with the right skill set available for the roles which need to be filled. The challenge facing clients is that those much-needed skilled people who are already in jobs, are now more reluctant to move due to the insecurities which have been bought about since Covid-19, which has made a challenging recruitment market even more challenging.

In turn this means that the current employees within these job roles are being stretched and pressure is put on them to perform even more. In some cases, there simply aren’t enough qualified engineers or technicians – and the skilled individuals in the industry are spread too thinly or end up doing two roles to support their employers.

Brett Ennals, Director of Cento – Intelligent Resource Solutions, Fire and Security Jobs and Lifts and Escalator Jobs advises any employer who is struggling to find the right person, to be slightly flexible with their parameters. Brett recommends embracing remote working and offering this as part of the package to a possible recruit, with regards to management and/or office-based roles. Working from home has turned into the new norm and offering a work from home option to a possible employee is a definite perk. Consequently, this then gives clients a larger geographical pool of people to recruit from as individuals are then not bound by travel times to and from offices. Flexibility on call rotas is also an attractive option, as it provides the potential recruit with more flexibility to work on suitable times.

The FIA (Fire Industry Association) consistently reports on this growing urgency for more skilled workers and is advising employers to invest in apprenticeships and implementing multi-skilled training programmes for existing engineers. 

RiskUK.com also reports that “…the security industry has come a long way from its historical roots and is now focusing heavily on updat[ing] skills, vetting and standards as well as changing perceptions of what the sector actually entails”.

Another way to change this situation, and to reduce the skills gap, in particular for the fire and security industry, is to attract more people to join our industry. We then need to provide relevant education, with a recognised and stringent qualification, which guarantees that people entering the industry are skilled and experienced in the vital areas which the industry needs. This will also make it more appealing to those entering the industry, as the promise of specific education and qualifications will lead to secure work in industry roles. The typical route for second jobbers entering the industry, is for open minded employers to provide retraining. Since the candidate already has the core competencies to do a job, it's easier for the clients to then do the retraining for another. This bolsters routes for people coming into the market, as long as they have the appetite to learn.

How Can We Help those Clients Struggling?

At Cento Personnel Limited we re-launched our sister companies, Fire and Security Jobs and Lifts and Escalators Jobs. FSJ was originally formed in 2005, and these two companies were launched to provide a simple, cost effective recruitment service for specialised employers, maximising employment opportunities for skilled employees. This remains the objective for our team, and we have expanded on functionality to better support our clients, both as job seekers and as employers.

Fire and Security Jobs and Lifts and Escalators Jobs:

• Maximise your vacancy exposure across all digital channels
• Increase your employer branding
• Facilitate the interview process for every role
• Manage the offer and onboarding process
• Ensure your listing reaches our global, specialised network of industry experts
• Support the education and ongoing learning of your team
• Connect skilled and experienced individuals to the best opportunities
• Save you money and time recruiting the best fit
• Embed skilled workers into existing teams to plug skills gaps

The ‘Apprentice Promo’ system we have implemented also means that all apprenticeships in the Fire and Security and Lifts and Security sector are listed and promoted free of charge – and we will send the CV, without fees, of anyone seeking an opportunity in this industry to those offering these apprenticeships and qualifications. Employers should also note that the Government Levy funding programme covers the cost of these apprenticeship programmes, meaning you can recruit and train the skilled employees and experts you need.

To find out more about the support we can give you through recruitment, call Fire and Security Jobs - 01509 615 295 or Lifts and Escalator Jobs - 01509 615 299 today, and together we can plug those gaps!

Equally, if you are looking for a more exclusive and premium programme to support your talent acquisition needs, please contact our Cento representatives on 01509 615 290.