Tackling the skills gap in business and professional services

According to the CBI’s latest report, confidence is growing in the business and professional services sector. With optimism in the market at its fastest pace for more than 15 years, there are many reasons to be upbeat.

However, the buoyancy of the sector comes at a cost for some employers, who are facing challenges posed by skills shortages, which are all the more visible when addressing growth strategies.

While major firms invest a great deal of time on annual graduate recruitment drives, there is work to do to ensure retention levels, particularly with increased market competition.

Commenting on this, Wayne Brophy, managing director of specialist procurement, buying, supply chain and logistics recruitment company, Cast UK, said: “There is more emphasis on a ‘total reward’ approach nowadays, in the wake of an unsettled financial period where firms have not been able to commit to salary increases. The drive to offer attractive benefits is critical and these need to be clearly communicated to employees.”

Described in a Government report into sector skills insights as “the oil in the cogs of the overall machine that is the UK economy” there is no doubting the importance of business and professional services as a sector. However, to achieve the growth that is predicted, businesses will need to adapt to change and re-evaluate team models in many cases.

Wayne added: “We work with firms to map out their skills requirements by analysing the market and identifying the impact of major factors such as increased global competition and technological advances. Only by taking these considerations on board can businesses really be geared for growth.”

Cast UK sees recruitment success at the Manchester Graduate Fair

Last week, Cast UK joined 190 exhibitors at the 2014 Graduate Recruitment Fair in Manchester to encourage graduates to find out their natural strengths by completing a specially developed personality quiz, the Cast UK Profiler.

As a specialist recruitment company with expertise in procurement, buying, supply chain and logistics, Cast UK appealed to graduates interested in pursuing a career in recruitment. At the fair, the team had more than 150 visitors to the stand, received 50 CVs and arranged 30 interviews with graduates looking to start their career with Cast UK.

Wayne Brophy, managing director at Cast UK, said: “We had great feedback from everyone who came to see us at the grad fair and it was really inspiring to meet such bright, ambitious young talent.

“A lot of people enjoyed using the Cast UK Profiler to find out more about careers and roles that naturally suit their personality types and talking to our consultants about what it’s like to have a career in recruitment. Participating in the grad fair was really productive as we are currently recruiting for our Graduate Training Academy and are already interviewing some of the people who came to see us on our stand.”

Making returns reap rewards

As e-commerce is set to increase by 17% this year, so will returns. This is particularly true with clothing and electrical goods as it has been reported that up to 40% of goods bought online are returned.   

For retailers, returns are costly and time-consuming to process but they are inevitable as they go hand-in-hand with sales.

So how do companies turn this necessity into commercial opportunity?

According to Retail Gazette, Micheal Kliger, managing director of EMEA, eBay Enterprise, highlights that this can be achieved by streamlining processes, embracing omnichannel retailing and building customer loyalty.

However, recruitment company, Cast UK, which specialises in recruitment for procurement, buying, supply chain and logistics, says that the successful management of returns is down to the people.

“Reverse logistics is one of the biggest challenges retailers face,” says Wayne Brophy, managing director of Cast UK.

“The key is to recruit highly skilled logistics professionals to manage the process as this ensures the flow of finished goods from consumers to the point of origin so they can recapture or create value on the goods. 

“With the UK having retail sales over £321 billion last year, companies need to embrace reverse logistics to keep the industry flowing and ever-demanding consumers happy.”

Cast UK prompts graduates to find out what makes them tick

Specialist recruitment company, Cast UK, will be encouraging graduates to find out their natural strengths by completing a specially developed personality quiz, the Cast UK Profiler, at this year’s Graduate Recruitment Fair hosted by The University of Manchester on 11th and 12th June.

As one of the 190 exhibitors attending the 2014 Graduate Recruitment Fair at The Armitage Centre in Fallowfield, Manchester, Cast UK, which specialises in recruitment for procurement, buying, supply chain and logistics, will be encouraging graduates entering the job market  to consider how understanding their personality types might guide them in career decisions.

The Cast UK Profiler is a simple, easy-to-use online tool that can be accessed via mobile and desktop devices to ascertain personality strengths and give a steer on what kind of person you are using headers like ‘motivator’, ‘composer’ and ‘architect’.

Commenting on the innovation, managing director of Cast UK, Wayne Brophy, said: “We’re really looking forward to launching the Cast UK Profiler at the Graduate Recruitment Fair in Manchester. It’s helpful for graduates to give thought to careers roles that naturally suit their personality types. While these aren’t rigid and the format is deliberately simple and accessible, it may be helpful guidance when taking the first step on the career ladder.

“We run a Graduate Training Academy within our company and recognise that securing bright, ambitious talent is about being innovative, having an attractive proposition and being able to communicate in ways that inspire graduates, while supporting them through what can be quite an overwhelming time in their lives.”

Those wishing to find out a bit more about what makes them tick can talk to the Cast UK team on stand 32 or visit: http://profiler.castuk.com and can use the hashtag #castukprofiler on twitter to share their findings.

The Graduate Recruitment Fair at The University of Manchester is open to students and graduates from any institution, though pre-event registration is advised. For more information and to register visit www.manchester.ac.uk/graduatefair

*Cast UK will only be exhibiting on Wednesday 11th June.

Omnichannel retail surges with 83% of brands planning to implement strategy within 18 months

According to a recent survey by SLI Connect UK, 83% of retail brands are paving the way for a customer-focused future using an omnichannel strategy. The survey also revealed that 53% of respondents have an omnichannel strategy in place today and that significant differences exist in the attitudes exhibited by pure online versus online and offline retailers regarding the multi-channel experience.

The survey also highlights:

• 100% of brands see mobile as a key channel
• 85% of brands are implementing new technologies to go omnichannel
• 64% of brands are going omnichannel through repurposed budgets
• Online-only and offline e-commerce retailers have different understandings of omnichannel, with few online-only brands exploring offline opportunities

With an estimated three million people working in the retail sector and the rapid take-up of omnichannel strategies, brands will need to ensure that retail staff understand and embrace the value in using technology and social media when engaging with customers.

Specialist recruitment agency, Cast UK, says that while the use of omnichannel strategies is a step forward in modernising the retail sector; the challenge will be in finding candidates and employees who possess the right skills, as well as the personality and fit, to deal with the integration of agent-assisted channels such as mobile and tablet devices. 

Commenting on these challenges, managing director at Cast UK, Wayne Brophy said: “Omnichannel retailing gives brands the opportunity to truly engage with customers on a very deep and personal level via tablets, mobiles and even personal social networking sites.

“These channels establish trust in a brand, which needs to be carefully managed and that starts with employing the right people. Anyone hoping to secure a position with retail brands should be aware of the omnichannel shift, embrace these new methods of communicating and understand the value in creating seamless buying experience from hyperspace to the high street.”

Logistics experts work ‘All in one rhythm™’ for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™

As we come together to celebrate the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ [12 June – 13 July], superstar logisticians and planners will ensure the games go off without a hitch and, much like this year’s World Cup slogan, ‘All in one rhythm™’.

With 3,170,856 cheering fans, over three quarters of a million litres of beer sold, 390,600 hot dogs consumed, and six million people attending public viewing sites across the globe for the South Africa games in 2010* – it’s clear to see that the FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest, and most logistically complex,  sporting events in the world.

The challenges involved in organising these events can be significant. The venue changes every four years, the crowd numbers top millions, weather can be volatile, and the host country may not be as prepared as other countries to cope with demands.

Renowned for working with high-profile event suppliers like AB InBev and LOCOG, logistics recruiter Cast UK says people with specialist planning and logistics skills are the key to these events, as each event location has its own set of requirements.

Managing director of Cast UK, Wayne Brophy, explains: “We find that with high-profile events, like the World Cup, a large percentage of the roles available will be short-term opportunities, lasting the duration of the tournament. Therefore, it’s key to recruit the right people from the outset as they have to be able to hit the ground running and commit to short-term contracts.”

At Cast UK, all senior recruiters have either worked directly in supply chain and procurement or have extensive experience in specialist sector areas. This business model ensures that recruiters are informed about the industry challenges faced by their clients and they can assist them with finding the right people to tackle these demands.

Wayne adds: “The World Cup in Brazil is a unique opportunity for skilled logistics professionals to play their part in the delivery of one of the world’s biggest global sporting events. While all eyes will be on the players come June, for logisticians, precision and planning will extend well beyond the pitch.”

*Source via http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/worldcup/

Recruitment accelerates in the automotive sector

The recovery in UK car production, highlighted by a 12 per cent increase in March against the same month in 2013, is indicative of a growing demand from Europe, according to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

This is having a ripple effect in recruitment, with experts at Cast UK witnessing an uplift in the automotive sector in Q1 of 2014.

This, coupled with the government’s injection of £500m to boost the ultra-low emission vehicle industry, is a positive sign for the industry. The investment, which includes £100m for R&D funding, will further bolster job opportunities in a sector that has experienced major fluctuation.

Commenting on the movement in the market, Mark Nesbit, managing consultant at specialist recruitment company, Cast UK, said: “The recovery of the European automotive market is encouraging. The continued success story of Jaguar Land Rover’s expansion into international markets, along with other OEMs, has certainly seen positive growth for their first and second tier suppliers across the country.

“The expertise here in the UK within automotive research and development has long been evident, particularly at the cutting edge of Formula 1, with many of the leading teams based in ‘Motorsport Valley’. The government’s commitment to electric technology will see an exciting new phase of growth in the industry and will open up more opportunities for the best engineering talent the UK has to offer.”