Skills Anyone in the fluid power industry knows the problems caused by the skills gap and highly competitive recruitment market. In the UK alone, it has been reported by Lightcast, on behalf of EngineeringUK, that in 2022/3 vacancies within the engineering sector accounted for a quarter (25%) of all job postings in the UK. To the put this in perspective, engineering vacances stand at approximately 55,000, which could boost the economy by £27 billion if fulfilled. Challenges An aging workforce, retirements and a reassessment of priorities catalysed by the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with a historical under-investment in pipeline planning across the industry has resulted in a deficit of skilled and qualified personnel. As we have grown and expanded Rotec Hydraulics, we have been faced with a general draining of skills and knowledge, exacerbated by multi-million-pound construction projects in the local area, Brexit and the pandemic. Our net impact was compounded by the national cost of living inflationary challenges in 2023, driving salaries and additional support payments to staff during the same period. It was, what could be described as, the perfect storm. In wrestling with those impacts during this period our demand for engaging with recruiting agencies grew substantially (along with costs) to hopefully establish ‘quick fix’ opportunities. This didn’t always result in the quality or the experience we required resulting in a real concerted effort to reassess our recruitment, training and skills pipeline strategies within our company. Investing in a robust training programme and tailoring employee packages to suit various motivators has helped our business to attract, recruit and retain personnel, so that we may increase our capacity for growth and capability. To help alleviate the skills gap crisis, Rotec Hydraulics reports it has several strategies. Engaging with local education providers The start of our journey has been with school leavers and encouraging those seeking work experience to come into Rotec. Rotec has seen a steady stream of 15-16-year-olds from 4 local secondary schools in Somerset and Devon over the last 2-3 years working for 1 week at a time in all areas of our business. The British Chamber of Commerce comment in their independent report concerning how the relatively new ‘T levels’ (which see students studying in college alongside a 20% commitment to industry placements) within further education will impact the next generation of potential employees. We are welcoming first hand those T level students and pleased to have met so many aspirational engineers at a local and regional level. Our business has nurtured links with local schools, sixth forms and colleges in Somerset and Devon to offer enriching work experience opportunities, as well as employing apprentice engineers. Our apprenticeship programme has raised awareness of Rotec within the local community, further strengthens and diversifies our workforce and allows us to develop skills according to business requirements. Not only have we created a sustainable talent pipeline, but apprenticeships provide valuable mentoring opportunities for our seasoned engineers. Training and development Rotec Hydraulics’ personal development programme implements a strategic approach. By committing to an investment into a considered training programme, we can reward motivated and ambitious team members with an attractive pay scale ladder and increased responsibility and autonomy. The company’s skills matrix allows us to easily assess the talent and skills within the business, where they are lacking, and whether to build, borrow, or buy what’s needed to fill in gaps. Motivating the workforce Reassessing Rotec Hydraulics’ employee benefits package, in light of postPersonal career development is key 48 www.bfpa.co.uk Paul Prouse, Managing Director, Rotec Hydraulics, provides some thoughts on the company’s own skills challenges and how it has striven to overcome them. Paul Prouse: “With strategic realignment of our recruitment and retention strategy, alongside maintaining our strong company ethos, we look forward to a bright future.”
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