2023 promises to be a year of challenge and opportunity for Skills & Talent in South East Wales. The Venture team will be at the heart of it all, working with employers of all sizes and sectors to help them recruit and develop the talent they need - and these are the five defining factors that we see shaping the year ahead.
1. The Candidate Experience will be Key
Given the skill shortages and ‘candidate grapevine’ available on platforms such as Glassdoor, it’s clear that treating every candidate professionally and in a human way is more than ‘the right thing to do’ - it can make or break your employment brand and ability to attract the talent you need on a long-term basis.
Recruitment is a process for the employer. For the candidate, it’s an experience - and our advice is to make that experience as constructive and human as possible, from the way you write your recruitment messages, to the way you interview and shortlist, right through to assessment stage, job offer and final feedback to all candidates. It’s something we practice every day; and it delivers the results.
2. L&D will be core to the ‘Employer Promise’
In an age of reskilling and upskilling, people now view the training and development opportunities offered by an employer as a valuable investment in them as an employee. It represents a win-win for both employer and employee, as both see the benefit of fresh skills being employed.
Given that, it’s no surprise that the microcredential courses of Open University Cymru are increasingly being used by employers as part of the overall ‘career package’ offered to employees and candidates. We use the microcredential courses ourselves as part of our Career Accelerator Programme, which has markedly improved the impact made by Venture graduates when they join an employer.
3. Recruitment of international workers is back on the agenda
The confusion of Brexit and chaos caused by the pandemic has had a negative effect on recruiting talent from overseas. That’s a potentially damaging situation as - sometimes - those skillsets are most appropriate for certain roles in an organisation, particularly when looking to attract graduate tech talent.
The good news is that the new rules and regulations governing the hiring of international workers are easily understood - and we have produced a practical guide for any employer looking to tap into the potential of international graduate talent, which can be found on our website.
4. ‘Retention’ and ‘Recruitment’ will be equally important
The so-called ‘Great Resignation’ highlighted the fact that if organisations retained the talent they needed, it would put less emphasis on the need to recruit.
So, how does an employer retain talent? There are many factors involved, of course - but one of the most immediate actions is to make sure that any new employee is joining for the right reasons.
So ask yourself some questions. Do your recruitment ads tell an honest and accurate story? Is your interview and assessment process geared to finding the ‘right’ person for the role?
Get those critical steps ‘right’ and you’ll attract and hire the ‘right’ person for the ‘right’ reasons - automatically reducing the risk of losing that person because they’re simply not fitted for the role, or suited to your working culture.
5. Hybrid Working is becoming part of ‘The Deal’
With the technological strides made during two years of lockdowns, employers and employees are coming to terms with hybrid arrangements that combine both onsite and home based working.
Get this right and it becomes a key selling point in your employment offer. And it’s not necessarily the preserve of ‘white collar’ and ‘digital’ jobs - we’re working with advanced manufacturing companies and enterprises in other sectors who are embracing technology to offer the working practices that secure the talent they need for success.
2023 will be a critical year for recruitment, skills and training in our Region - and as the Skills & Talent hub of CCR, Venture will be playing our part in both delivering to the need and informing the wider debate.
Blog submitted by www.venturewales.org