Building a talent pipeline

Business engagement with young people and school or college staff is core to the support SEMLEP provides to schools and FE Colleges.

Employers say that they want to support schools and colleges and, through the SEMLEP Growing People Skills Plan activity, we will provide conduits for relevant, efficient, effective employer engagement both for businesses and educators.

Employers can make a difference through engagement by:

• Becoming inspirers, working with and motivating people through 5 types of focused, relevant provision; inspirational talks, work site visits for small cohorts, mentoring individuals, enterprise activities and work experience
• Acting as Enterprise Advisers, assisting with driving employer engagement in schools
• Facilitating relevant provision for young people through hosting and/or funding activity, contributing to both CSR and CPD of staff
• Informing for provision content, attainment types and labour market information

For more information as to how you can make a difference contact SEMLEP’s Skills and Employer Manager, Paul Thompson on paul.thompson@semlep.com or 01234 436100.

Strengthening the Workforce 

With the challenges facing some organisations in filling vacancies, taking a fresh look at accessing talent through open recruitment can have a positive impact on business and provide some of the most motivated staff.

Evidence from business suggests that people who have overcome their own personal challenges can bring fresh ideas and solutions to problems with employees focused on securing results, staying with their employer for longer, having a strong commitment to their organisation and lower rates of absenteeism. They also report several key benefits to the business including:

• addressing skills shortages
• reducing recruitment costs
• improving client relationships by embracing diversity
• up-skilling the existing workforce through coaching and mentoring
• demonstrating a social conscience and improving morale
• boosting the reputation of the organisation

Resources for businesses 

SEMLEP's Growth Hub held a workshop with several partners to showcase the assistance available to businesses. Below are the presentations containing links to resources and assistance.

• Serco - Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) is part of Serco’s Employment, Skills and Enterprise (ESE) business unit – experts in the delivery of local employment, skills, training and business support services which improve the productivity of individuals and businesses and boost local economies.
• Adviza - A provider of the National Careers Service supporting businesses with key staffing challenges through professionally trained Careers Advisers.
  
• B-Reason-ABLE - This organisation has one goal; to get disabled people into meaningful paid employment. They help employers to be more confident and employ disabled people, comply with equality legislation, encourage conversations around disabilities, provide an inclusive working environment and improve employee retention.
• SEMLEP Growing People – Part of the #GrowingTalent campaign, the presentation includes the benefits of apprenticeships to businesses and the importance and impact of developing a talent pipeline.
  

For some guidance and resources to help move towards open recruitment, please click here.

Read the Viridian Nutrition employer training case study.