Employability and Skills
A Survey of Business Views and Attitudes
SUMMARY
Although a number of Human Resource interviewees say they are ‘fairly’ content with the skills displayed by current recruits there is also clearly an underlying concern of the lack of soft skills displayed by recruits, particularly inter-personal, communications, customer interaction skills and flexibility. This complaint is not new, but is still not seen to have been addressed/solved. The ability to adapt to change and a customer focus are also seen by the majority as the skills that will become most important in the next 3-5 years, and combined with a ‘can do’ attitude, the most common aspect of current successful employees.
• The vast majority of companies have competence portfolios and a clear understanding of the skills they are after. There are also encouraging signs and great examples of strong partnerships with the education sector. However, there is not enough evidence across the broad of real, long-term dialogue or effective collaboration both between companies and education providers and within companies between the HR and CSR departments.
• Overall, respondents feel that it is ‘fairly’ easy to recruit, but again there is an undercurrent of frustration that it should be easier, as all are regularly presented with so many unsuitable candidates. Most organisations’ regular form of recruitment is traditional, although with less of a focus on qualifications than hitherto.
• One major change over the last few years is seen to be the number applying on-line, which although acknowledged as being useful in attracting some applicants who might otherwise not get in touch is nevertheless actually more disempowering to many from marginalized groups.
• Although nearly every organisation pointed out that it is an equal opportunity employer, and therefore would (of course) consider any applicant, understandably, most organisations recruit from areas known to be successful. Very few currently have policies covering recruitment of marginalised groups.
• There is also a clear acknowledgment that companies need to be diverse, and interest in considering all applicants. Some mentioned recruiting working mothers and older recruits as demonstration of diverse recruitment. There are however fewer examples of a more creative approach to this issue than might perhaps have been expected.
• No one was closed to the idea of recruiting long-term unemployed or homeless people, although there is some nervousness about being involved in new schemes (hampered often by poor previous experiences), and the additional time needed to recruit these groups.
• Companies are however very interested in some simplification of both programmes and processes in this whole area - ‘common process’ as well as calling for work to
‘route-map’ the area for all of business.
• There was also crucially a plea for a more meaningful dialogue with government, its agencies and education providers not just on the question of skills to but on much of the wider area which is the focus of this report.
• Finally, there is also a perceived role for Business in the Community - and other agencies – to facilitate this dialogue and help promote employability as responsible business practice through case studies, targeted programmes driven by companies themselves and other means as part of a consolidated campaign.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Business in the Community, as a business membership organisation, is in a unique position to talk to companies on employability issues and to analyse and evaluate their responses. It is important however that this is not ‘just another report’ and BitC is therefore committed to working with member companies and other stakeholders to ensure that the findings are able genuinely to influence the national agenda.
There is clearly a way forward through an agenda for action, where action is shared in a partnership towards inclusion for competitiveness.
For business there is a chance to:
• Establish a campaign to promote the opportunities for business benefit offered by the talent and skills of many in marginalised communities. This would include:
promoting existing good practice and case studies by companies
looking creatively at existing recruitment processes and procedures in order to attract and then seriously consider applicants from disadvantaged groups
• Further improve the way it engages with education providers and properly articulates to them its current and future skills needs
• Encourage other companies/ best practice/ competitiveness/
Business cannot however tackle these issues alone and can only do so with any real chance of success if they are seen also to be genuinely addressed by government , its agencies and the education providers themselves. There needs therefore to be an ongoing and more meaningful dialogue than hitherto between all stakeholders to try, inter alia, to find long term answers in the skills debate and look ofr more sustainable solutions to enable those from disadvantaged communities to find employment.
This has been a preliminary survey and Business in the Community intends to continue discussions with participating companies and others over the coming months. It is keen also to undertake a role helping facilitatethis dialogue and debate and campaigning to promote good employability practice.
This might include identifying good case study material, the development of an Employability Toolkit which would include ‘signposting’ information about relevant programmes and processes and the development of specific skills programmes which business itself could drive.
For Further information or a copy of the Final survey report, please contact:
Peter Thompson, Business in the Community,
137 Shepherdess Walk, London N1 7RQ
A Survey of Business Views and Attitudes
SUMMARY
Although a number of Human Resource interviewees say they are ‘fairly’ content with the skills displayed by current recruits there is also clearly an underlying concern of the lack of soft skills displayed by recruits, particularly inter-personal, communications, customer interaction skills and flexibility. This complaint is not new, but is still not seen to have been addressed/solved. The ability to adapt to change and a customer focus are also seen by the majority as the skills that will become most important in the next 3-5 years, and combined with a ‘can do’ attitude, the most common aspect of current successful employees.
• The vast majority of companies have competence portfolios and a clear understanding of the skills they are after. There are also encouraging signs and great examples of strong partnerships with the education sector. However, there is not enough evidence across the broad of real, long-term dialogue or effective collaboration both between companies and education providers and within companies between the HR and CSR departments.
• Overall, respondents feel that it is ‘fairly’ easy to recruit, but again there is an undercurrent of frustration that it should be easier, as all are regularly presented with so many unsuitable candidates. Most organisations’ regular form of recruitment is traditional, although with less of a focus on qualifications than hitherto.
• One major change over the last few years is seen to be the number applying on-line, which although acknowledged as being useful in attracting some applicants who might otherwise not get in touch is nevertheless actually more disempowering to many from marginalized groups.
• Although nearly every organisation pointed out that it is an equal opportunity employer, and therefore would (of course) consider any applicant, understandably, most organisations recruit from areas known to be successful. Very few currently have policies covering recruitment of marginalised groups.
• There is also a clear acknowledgment that companies need to be diverse, and interest in considering all applicants. Some mentioned recruiting working mothers and older recruits as demonstration of diverse recruitment. There are however fewer examples of a more creative approach to this issue than might perhaps have been expected.
• No one was closed to the idea of recruiting long-term unemployed or homeless people, although there is some nervousness about being involved in new schemes (hampered often by poor previous experiences), and the additional time needed to recruit these groups.
• Companies are however very interested in some simplification of both programmes and processes in this whole area - ‘common process’ as well as calling for work to
‘route-map’ the area for all of business.
• There was also crucially a plea for a more meaningful dialogue with government, its agencies and education providers not just on the question of skills to but on much of the wider area which is the focus of this report.
• Finally, there is also a perceived role for Business in the Community - and other agencies – to facilitate this dialogue and help promote employability as responsible business practice through case studies, targeted programmes driven by companies themselves and other means as part of a consolidated campaign.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Business in the Community, as a business membership organisation, is in a unique position to talk to companies on employability issues and to analyse and evaluate their responses. It is important however that this is not ‘just another report’ and BitC is therefore committed to working with member companies and other stakeholders to ensure that the findings are able genuinely to influence the national agenda.
There is clearly a way forward through an agenda for action, where action is shared in a partnership towards inclusion for competitiveness.
For business there is a chance to:
• Establish a campaign to promote the opportunities for business benefit offered by the talent and skills of many in marginalised communities. This would include:
promoting existing good practice and case studies by companies
looking creatively at existing recruitment processes and procedures in order to attract and then seriously consider applicants from disadvantaged groups
• Further improve the way it engages with education providers and properly articulates to them its current and future skills needs
• Encourage other companies/ best practice/ competitiveness/
Business cannot however tackle these issues alone and can only do so with any real chance of success if they are seen also to be genuinely addressed by government , its agencies and the education providers themselves. There needs therefore to be an ongoing and more meaningful dialogue than hitherto between all stakeholders to try, inter alia, to find long term answers in the skills debate and look ofr more sustainable solutions to enable those from disadvantaged communities to find employment.
This has been a preliminary survey and Business in the Community intends to continue discussions with participating companies and others over the coming months. It is keen also to undertake a role helping facilitatethis dialogue and debate and campaigning to promote good employability practice.
This might include identifying good case study material, the development of an Employability Toolkit which would include ‘signposting’ information about relevant programmes and processes and the development of specific skills programmes which business itself could drive.
For Further information or a copy of the Final survey report, please contact:
Peter Thompson, Business in the Community,
137 Shepherdess Walk, London N1 7RQ
Or e-mail to peter.thompson@bitc.org.uk