This week, Bekkie Scales (our HR Manager) and Richard Hemming (our Manufacturing Engineering Manager) met with Nick Boles MP, Minister for Skills & Equalities at Abingdon & Witney College to talk about potential changes to the Apprenticeships scheme. With 3 existing Engineering Apprentices and a desire to recruit up to 4 more this year, as well as a number of Graduate and other Trainee positions within our business, Crowcon is keen to ensure that policy makers understand some of the challenges faced in recruiting and retaining key personnel.

As outlined in the latest report from Engineering UK ‘The State of Engineering’, Crowcon is not alone in finding it increasingly difficult to recruit good candidates of the calibre required to support our continued growth . Oxfordshire is a very competitive labour market, and we know that good candidates are starting to demand more than just a job. Candidates want opportunities with excellent employers who can support them to achieve their potential. With 170 employees in UK and another 50+ across the world, Crowcon is delighted to be able to offer this.

With a current workforce representative for each of the locations where we are based, whether that is our Oxfordshire HQ, Singapore, Europe or elsewhere, we are also proud of our diverse workforce. Recent recruits have been aged from 18 to 61, but in common with many engineering companies, women are under-represented in some areas. We will be looking at ways to address this, as we build our senior employees of the future, recruiting apprentices and graduate engineers, as well as facilitating internal transfers for staff from one engineering discipline to another, or for technicians to achieve recognised qualifications from NVQs at Level 2 to BTecs, HNC and in some disciplines, such as finance or purchasing, post graduate or professional certificates.

Home grown talent will be the differentiator of the future. The cost of higher education is making many re-think the automatic study routes into well paid and rewarding careers, when looking offer scope for stretch and development. It is no longer necessary to become burdened with a large debt, via full time study, to achieve your potential in the work place. Vocational career paths are finally becoming more widely available, with a multitude of opportunities and development routes. People Development is at the heart of our business success and working collaboratively to release the wider potential within our business is how Crowcon will continue to go from strength to strength. We are starting to become a destination employer, with speculative CVs received daily for all types of role available within our business. After all, why would you take a job, when you can have a career?

If you are interested in begin considered for suitable opportunities with Crowcon, please send in your CV to jobs@crowcon.com.