Business Secretary Vince Cable met Allan Cook, chairman of the Skills and Jobs Retention Group, to discuss progress on a scheme that matches engineers at risk of redundancy with companies looking to recruit.
Representatives from BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and Nissan were present on behalf of the group, which created the Talent Retention Solution (TRS), a website that holds details of engineering staff at risk of redundancy and vacancies in the engineering sectors.
This is good news for engineers looking for work, for companies looking to recruit and for the UK as a way of retaining vital skills for the benefit of growing sectors in engineering such as aerospace, automotive, renewables, marine and nuclear.
Dr Cable said: The TRS provides a way for advanced manufacturing and engineering companies to recruit engineers quickly. It supports economic growth in the UK by ensuring that sectors winning business and recruiting new staff can secure vital engineering talent from companies that are in a different economic cycle.”
“I encourage engineering firms to take advantage of this important opportunity to add to their skillsets, and particularly SMEs for who the service is free,” added Cable.
To date, 345 UK companies have registered on the TRS. The number of vacancies on the system is growing quickly – there are 500+ live vacancies today, and the system currently holds details of 690 people. All of these numbers are expected to continue to grow quickly over the next few months.
Allan Cook commented: “I continue to be encouraged and delighted with the level of support for the TRS across all engineering sectors, from large, medium and small engineering firms to trade associations and the Unite union. This is the first national system to support the redeployment and retention of engineering talent.”
Mr Cook highlighted that the quick uptake of employers and employees using the service demonstrates a real demand for engineering skills in the market.
“The system is already fully operational and working well,” said Cook. “Many of the large and medium-sized engineering companies are actively engaged, but it is relevant to all companies in the supply chain with demand for engineering skills or where there is, unfortunately, a need to engage with companies where employee numbers are reducing due to market forces.”
The TRS was launched in July 2011, and was supported by a grant from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills in 2011. It is now fully self-financing in the private sector.
The service is free for SMEs with employee numbers less than 500. For more details and to sign up to the TRS visit www.talentretention.biz.
