It has long been documented that the FM industry is facing a skills gap. There are not enough people coming into the industry, and the population of skilled engineers in FM is aging (The Engineering Construction Training Board predicts that 20% of the UK engineering workforce will retire by 2026).
For end-users, this is a challenge that FM providers must meet. Their contractors need skilled engineers to maintain their critical infrastructure and ensure their estates are outstanding for their customers.
Arcus FM understands this. Not only are we investing heavily in training and apprenticeships, covered in the first of this three-part series (Part One: Learning and Development), but we’re also being innovative around how we source and recruit candidates hat may not have traditionally chosen FM as a sector for them.
Central to this is our Social Value strategy. This strategy supports us in addressing the skills gap is employability action; with a focus on four main under-represented groups as a priority. These are young people focusing on care leavers; those serving in or soon to be released from prison; ex-services personnel and individuals with health conditions.
All of which provides a rich body of potential colleagues to drive forward the future of our sector.
Not only does this enable us to get as many people into work as possible in a wide variety of roles, but also protects the longevity of our customers’ estates by providing a diverse workforce that grows with us. We develop their skills to reach their full potential, and build long and rewarding careers, in turn offering our customers the peace of mind this stability brings.
This scheme saw us place 72 people from our priority groups in employment last year, with more in the pipeline. Of these, 30 had been unemployed for 12 months or longer, seven were returning citizens, three were veterans and ex-service people, two were not in employment, education, or training, and one was a care leaver.
At Arcus, we believe customer experience is enhanced through greater diversity of thought, skills and knowledge that individuals from different backgrounds bring. More than that, we’ve found the individuals offered these opportunities are incredibly loyal and focused on developing their future careers with us.
Find stability with a partner planning for the long-term by visiting www.arcusfm.com
