Page 69 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan

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Challenges and Drivers of Change and Demand
The recruitment of suitable staff and access to relevant training provision are reported as being challenges some businesses operating within the sector face.
The nature of the sector means that it is driven by client demands and the needs of customers, which brings with it unique challenges such as cash flow lead times. These issues and drivers are exacerbated by changes in legislation (especially in the legal sector) and highly dependent on changes and fluctuations in elements of the economy e.g. property market.
Difficult Roles to Recruit
The vast majority of those employers engaged with reported that they face difficulty in recruiting for specific roles. These roles are detailed below;
Micro/Small
Chartered Surveyors
Medium
Secretaries
Qualified Solicitors
Large
Part qualified financial technicians Procurement CIPS Leadership and Management Software Developers
Professional Roles
e.g. accountants, qualified HR, commercial estates managers
The Work-readiness of New Entrants to the Sector
Just over half of the employers engaged with indicated that most new entrants to their workforce are not work ready. There is a general feeling that entrants are not aware of what is expected from them in a working environment. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that some do not possess the relevant basic skills such as communication and ICT skills.
‘Most lack practical experience of the working environment. They need to be immersed for an appropriate period.’
‘There is a feeling that reward should be significantly higher than is the case. There is a lack of numeracy amongst many new entrants, a lack of ability to think outside of the box and a general lack of commercial awareness. When we have interviewed new either college or university graduates there is a lack of knowledge as to what the working world is like. This reflects our choice of seeking older employees and we will for expansion.’
‘Few have adequate practical skills and in a number of cases do not have the necessary ICT skills.’
‘More work needs to be done in education to prepare people for the workplace. Simple requirements such as following instructions, having to arrive on time, attendance etc. have to be taught.’
Welsh Language
Similarly to other sectors there is a direct correlation between the location of businesses and how important they rate the Welsh language within the Financial and Professional Services sector. This is also something that is client driven and companies feel that it is positive to be able to offer their services bilingually.
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales Sector Profiles