Training fills the recruitment skill gap

Information and communication technology (ICT) recruitment suffered during a market downturn in 2002, and for the London headquarters of an international recruitment consultancy it became vital to profitability and competitiveness to retain staff.

Huxley Associates Ltd, an ICT, finance and engineering recruitment company,was particularly concerned about the high turnover of new staff – those with up to 12 months’ service. The company therefore developed a new-starter initiative – the 0-12 Month Training Program (0-12 MTP)– to support its staff during their first year. The move earned it a Greater London regional award in the latest UK National Training Awards.

Huxley Associates operations manager Zoë Brent explained that there was“a clear skills gap” when it came to managing clients. To close the gap, the company introduced a five-day induction and a range of courses,including one on candidate sourcing, which covers writing advertisements and head-hunting and aims to speed up the process of finding suitable candidates for clients. Other courses cover assessing clients’ needs, negotiation skills,client visits to build relationships and one named IT and Finance Demystified,which aims to improve market knowledge.

Zoë Brent continued: “The improvement seen in employees has been very positive and has affected all areas of our business, far exceeding the expected benefits. Morale has been improved. Staff are confident and feel better equipped to excel in their roles. Higher motivation levels have led to an increase in productivity, demonstrated by an increase in the average deal per head.”

Staff retention has risen from 46 to 80 percent and annual turnover has more than doubled. “Our employees have voted us into the Financial Times Top 50 Best Workplaces in the UK for the last three years”, she said. “The training has improved the culture of the company and has helped to shape our future.”