Labour savers

There is certainly no secret about the severe shortage of skilled and qualified tradespeople in the m&e sector. With qualified operatives reportedly able to earn salaries of £50 000+, what value can a recruitment company deliver to its clients and candidates?

"Over the last 12 years we have seen a steady decline in the number of skilled and qualified plumbers and electricians coming onto our books," stresses Johnny Emerson, m&e consultant at Now Recruitment (Newcastle). "Week on week we have over 18 contract vacancies that we need to fill."

It is well documented that in the construction industry at present there are over 40 000 positions that cannot be filled due to skills shortages. These shortages are having a major impact on projects all over the country, from Heathrow Terminal 5 in London, to the Bull Ring in Birmingham. Contractors are relying on recruitment companies to deliver quality candidates on time and to budget.

What's in an age?
The average age of m&e candidates has seen a steady rise in the last five to ten years. It is not unusual to see candidates in their mid to late-40s accounting for a majority of the workforce on site.

"Whereas ten years ago the average age of our candidates was late 20s to early 30s, now it's not uncommon to find candidates in their late 40s landing regular, highly paid work," adds Emerson. "My best candidate is aged 65 – he's never out of work."

With the number of indenture apprenticeships on the decline, it's no wonder that the industry is seeing the average age of its top earners rise.

"The balance needs to be addressed and, as a recruiter, we've been doing our utmost to try and find a solution for younger people looking to get into the industry at a junior level," says Tristan Prior, division manager at Now Recruitment (Bristol). "The strong links that we have with our bigger clients mean that, when we have a few good young people on our books who we know will give a job 100%, we'll recommend them to clients for indenture apprenticeships.

"Many contractors won't even look at a cv from someone fresh out of college, but for a young person looking for work a recruitment agency can really come into its own at this point."

The question of wages
"Some of my m&e tradespeople won't get up out of bed for less than £500 a week take-home," says Emerson. "They command it and, because of the skills shortage, more often that not they get what they want."

Whereas a few years ago a skilled or qualified operative would be paid £6.50-7.45 per hour, skilled contract m&e operatives can now command up to £11.50-12.50 per hour.

With contractors tending for projects country-wide, recruitment companies are finding that they are being increasingly used at the start of the pitch process. "We have preferred agreements with contractors where we have agreed hourly rates for various jobs," says Mark Walton, operations director at Now Recruitment. "Clients use us much more these days at the start of a project, when they want to price up a certain amount of labour in a certain area. If we get involved at this stage of the process, then it's not unlikely that we become involved in supplying the labour further down the line."

A cv minefield
Clients are finding that many candidates' cvs look more like a directory than a career documentation – and this is not necessarily a good thing.

Recruitment companies recognise that if m&e operatives aren't earning the wage they want, then there is the risk that they simply move on to another contract. In some cases this is not the best career move.

"Many cvs that we receive look like a telephone directory, due to the amount of times that people are moving from contract to contract," says Prior. "Clients really don't like to see this – as you can imagine, it makes them very uneasy. Loyalty is key and if your cv displays a tendency to leave a project halfway through due to not enough pay, you'll increasingly find it difficult to land work."

More recruitment companies are holding cv workshops with their candidates, either on a one-to-one or group basis. Points that are discussed include client loyalty and cv presentation among others.

"Candidates need to understand how having mammoth cvs filled with one job after another over a short period of time can look to employers. We give guidance and advice on rules of conduct, while letting them know what clients require from them and their cv," says Prior.

Accreditation and training
Many recruitment companies are taking assessment and training in-house. Increasingly, they are ensuring consultants are trained to the assessment standards of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) and the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) in order to get candidates through training.

More often than not, recruitment agencies are working to ensure that the majority of the candidates on its books are up to standard on health and safety and training. "At Now Recruitment we have chosen to partner with a training provider on our CSCS training, and are looking to do the same with ECS," says Walton.

Recruitment companies will pay for candidates to be put through assessment and training, a cost that can be recouped through available grants. "It's about taking the stress and strain out of training, for clients and candidates. We can set everything up: assessment, training – whatever it takes to get candidates up to industry standard," says Walton.

Now Recruitment, among other recruitment companies, works very closely with colleges and training providers so that they are up to speed on all of the latest courses and qualifications available to the m&e industry. "We know that it's important for a recruiter to understand that candidates come to us these days, not just for jobs, but for in-depth advice on careers and career development we are always on hand with advice," Walton adds.

Recruiters have realised that growing and nurturing specific relationships with industry associations such as the JIB, Amicus, ECA and NICEIC are key. "Through our support of bodies such as these, we have been able to gain access onto various preferred supplier lists and have made inroads to companies that, with association to these bodies, we would not have made. Our candidates reap the benefits of this."

One of the major issues that can make or break a relationship lies in who takes the lead on health and safety training and accidents on site. Recruitment companies do offer in-house health and safety training in the form of a video, questionnaire, on-site training and awareness briefings.

"We offer clients the option of having a trained consultant go on site and carry out a risk assessment. Findings can then be presented to the client and advice given on improvements. "All of our candidates are offered the option to be covered by public liability insurance," says Emerson. "We do everything we can to ensure that, as far as possible, the strain and stress of dealing with accidents, should they occur, has been assessed and covered."

Going that extra mile
The most important part of the recruitment agency/client/ candidate loop is the relationship. It's no longer possible to send clients numerous cvs and expect one, or a few, of them to be successful. Not only does that waste valuable time, but it can also damage relationships.

"It comes down to quality and supply of candidates and a consultant's willingness to really listen to what a client wants," adds Emerson. "Working with our industry's peaks and troughs can be a tough job for a consultant, but by planning human resource as far in advance as is possible with a client, a good agency can accommodate for this."

Candidates come back to agencies again and again for one reason – steady work and career guidance. Often candidates find that sending a cv direct can be quite time consuming from that initial enquiry. "With a good recruitment company a candidate should know that if a job's advertised it's live, and if they're suitable they could be placed in under a week," says Emerson.

It's not uncommon within the better recruitment companies for a candidate to stay with them for the whole of their career. "All of my long-standing candidates know how close our relationships to both our clients and candidates are, and they will have experienced or heard of the extra services such as training, assessments and jobs that can be had by enrolling with us," concludes Emerson.