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What is the price of clean air?
It’s been widely reported* that leaders of cities across the UK are calling for action by the government to provide a £1.5bn fund to remove polluting vehicles from the streets. Proposed by London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, working alongside UK 100, a network of local government leaders, they hope to shift the nation to 100 per cent clean energy by 2050. And it’s not just the obvious problems people are facing with asthma and other breathing related disorders, The Guardian** reported that “children who lived in areas with higher air pollution when younger are significantly more likely to have developed major depression by the age of 18, according to research”. With young people “three to four times more likely to have depression at 18 if they had been exposed to dirtier air at age 12”. Polly Billington, director of UK100, states "Air pollution is a national health crisis," and that "Government should work in partnership with local leaders by providing new powers and adequate funding: that will make a real difference to drive urgent and effective action”. "Many councils and mayors are acting, but an extra £1.5 billion is needed to support people and businesses to switch from older polluting vehicles into low emission transport, cycling and walking so we can all love clean air. We also a need a new clean air law including tougher, legally binding World Health Organisation air pollution limits and an independent watchdog that will hold Government to account." But what would be done with the money? Suggestions include funding towards ultra-low emission vehicles or for scrapping diesel cars registered before 2015, for creating cheaper public transport or promoting car share/car clubs in problem areas. In bigger cities electric buses or and low emission bus zones could be the answer. Michael Gove, the environment secretary agrees that "Tackling air pollution needs strong collective action" and that the forthcoming Environment Bill would include new legislation on air quality and “deliver on it’s commitment to leave the natural world in a better condition than we found it.” *** Inevitably, where there is a focus - and a significant budget for improvement - then experts in the field will be required to ensure that what has been promised can be delivered. At Allen & York, we specialise in recruiting hard to fill and technical roles and are proud of the sectors we work in, they include Environment, Energy and Sustainability. We have a long history of working in these sectors and have worked on over 230 vacancies for air quality professionals. Our specialist recruitment consultants are delighted to have placed 18 air quality specialists throughout the UK. We have live vacancies for consultant to director level and, by placing some of the best people in these vacancies, are supporting the quest for air quality and a better environment for generations to come. If you are a candidate looking for a new job in air quality, or an employer who needs assistance in recruiting air quality staff, then please don’t hesitate to contact us. Let’s work together to improve air quality. *https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/pollution-cars-uk-michael-gove-sadiq-khan-vehicles-air-quality-a8778486.html **https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/30/children-exposed-to-air-pollution-more-likely-to-develop-depression ***https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-environment-principles-and-governance-bill-2018/environment-bill-policy-paper
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Love your job?
It’s that question that we sometimes ask ourselves and if we’re lucky (sometimes very lucky) the answer is a resounding YES, I LOVE MY JOB! But for those less fortunate, what should you do about it? In uncertain times, and where you’re in a job that pays a decent salary and has a good bunch of workmates, maybe you can just sit it out? And there’s nothing wrong with that. You know it’s not forever. You’ll just ride it out until something better comes along. And then you get complacent. And then you settle. And then you get to a point of questioning, am I even marketable? Can I even get a new job? When you haven’t changed jobs for a while, you forget how time consuming and sometimes soul destroying it can be. But don’t let the fear of moving put you off. Think about what you really want to do in your dream job and make it happen. Here are five things you should consider right now: 1. You feel invisible No-one is giving you any feedback on what you’re doing. You feel like people who have been in your organisation less time are moving up the careers ladder and you’re laying stagnant. Your career has stalled, and it doesn’t look like changing. You need to move on. 2. Challenge rejected You’re not challenged any more. The excitement you once felt about delivering a fantastic project or writing a Pulitzer prize winning report has gone. Okay, maybe its unrealistic to think you’re going to be challenged in a positive way, every day, but there should be an element of improving your knowledge and picking up new skills. If your employer isn’t interested in your career development, then why would you stay? 3. Do you want to sign this card….? If there’s been a sudden glut of leaving cards, leaving drinks or covering someone who’s left work, then it might be time to start updating your LinkedIn profile. If your friends and colleagues are finding new opportunities, then you probably can too. 4. Your heart’s not in it You’ve given it a go, sometime for years and years, but you know intrinsically it’s time to move. It’s time to take charge, make some positive steps and go out and get what you deserve. 5. Recruiters are calling When you’re happy in your role, calls from recruiters can be a mild annoyance. When you’re feeling a little bored, uninspired or un-challenged, they could be exactly what you need. Even if you’re not in the market, keeping in-touch with a recruiter will keep you on their radar when that dream job does come up. And they could negotiate you a better deal – both financially and in term of flexibility. If you find yourself in a position where you’re thinking about any or all the five points above, maybe it’s time to speak to a recruiter? At ALLEN & YORK, we work with clients across the globe to find people their perfect role. We’re working collaboratively, in partnership with our clients, to find you a job you’ll love. Happy Valentine’s day.
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Brexit and recruitment... the story so far.
Whilst Brexit has been an ever-changing beast over the past two years, the CIPD have been closely monitoring its impact employment and workforce trends, to assist employers in recruiting and retaining the right talent. Highlights of this article include: Overall Employment Despite early concerns of a decline in employment, the opposite has been seen - with the UK hitting a record high of 32.54 million (according to the Office for National Statistics), unemployment flat and the number of job vacancies rising from 10,000 to a record high of 853,000*. However, there’s no time to be complacent, with recent announcements of potential job cuts from retailer Tesco (9,000), Santander (1,200) and Jaguar Land Rover (up to 5,000) – the impact of the uncertainty around the impending Brexit could yet to be seen. What about Recruitment? Over the course of the last 2 years, with a 95% drop in EU nationals joining the UK workforce, alongside strong labour demand and low unemployment, we have seen recruitment becoming increasingly difficult. CIPD data shows 44% of employers having trouble in recruiting in 2018, with another 34% facing the challenge of retaining staff. Hard to fill roles are ever increasing. Employers with vacancies who said that at least some of those were hard to fill rose from 51% in Spring 2017 to 70% in Autumn 2018. The numbers of applicants per vacancy has also decreased – with low-skilled roles falling from 24 to 20, medium-skilled roles from 19 to 10 and high-skilled vacancies from 8 to 6. Align the difficulty in recruiting, retaining, placing people in hard to fill roles and reduced applications with increased cautiousness from candidates - and a prediction of increased difficulty in recruiting senior and skilled/technical employees over the next few years - being a talent acquisition manager or in-house recruiter could become increasingly challenging in the coming months/years. Let’s throw some money at the problem Around half of organisations struggling to recruit (48%) threw money at the problem by increasing salaries, alongside 51% who were experiencing retention issues. Upskilling employees to take hard to fill positions was also used to fill the gap. These however may not be long term solutions, employers should potentially be looking at non-financial benefits and making their brands more attractive to their audience. Looking at benefits like flexible working, training and mentoring programmes, clear routes for career development etc could all assist with recruitment and longer-term retention. Fail to plan, plan to fail Some urgency needs to be seen regarding workforce planning and development if organisations are to be able to respond in a decline in available skills and an increase in hard to fill roles. Identifying skills and knowledge required - or being savvy in how to resource for those roles - for now and in the future is key to longer term success. What’s next? Whilst it is relatively easy to look at what has happened in the market and to predict steps that need to be taken to ensure recruitment and retention are front of mind for business, we’re still relatively in the dark as to the actual impact of Brexit on the UK workforce. With a deal still not on the table and the possibility of a No Deal Brexit still on the cards, it’s impossible to state the ramifications of the UK leaving the UK on 29th March 2019 (if indeed the deadline isn’t extended). What we do know, based on the trends above, is that recruiting and retaining the best talent isn’t going to get any easier, therefore having a robust plan in place - alongside a partnership with the right recruiters, right now - can only stand organisations in good stead for the future. To talk to us about how we can help hire for hard to fill or technical vacancies, get in touch at info@allen-york.com or call +44 (0)1202 888986. www.allen-york.com Based on an original article from the CIPD: https://www.cipd.co.uk/news-views/brexit-hub/workforce-trends *https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46958560
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Who Dares Wins - Q1 2019
As we move into increasingly uncertainly social and economic times, I am often asked a simple question along the lines of: “How has Brexit affected the recruitment market in the sector?” The answer is, clearly, as complex as the issue itself and has interesting implications for both employers and job seekers. Since I started recruiting into the Environmental sphere in 2014, the market has been dominated by a pattern of high demand, and a relatively low supply of qualified candidates. This always meant that engineers, scientists and consultants that found themselves looking for a new role, either by choice or external factors, have in the main been met with a strong jobs market to explore either actively or passively. In the 18 months after the referendum, we saw little let up in the demand to grow the consultancy teams across the country. In Q4 of 2018 and so far, in 2019, candidates have started to hunker down, citing uncertain market conditions and economic factors. The general trend is fearing a downturn after the EU withdrawal period and not wanting to be the “last in and first out”. This means a candidate short market will be further starved of the talent pool it desperately needs to deliver, on existing and upcoming projects. However, this presents an interesting market for those bold enough to take a perceived ‘risk’ at this time. Candidate short markets hand the power directly to the job seeker, rather than the employer. This has been proven by an average 9% salary rise gained by the candidates we placed last year, followed by more focus on flexible working, progression and CPD. In short, market conditions, compounded by a further drop in candidate availability, means that those willing to review their options could be in a stronger position than ever. Projects like HS2, the Heathrow expansion, and government investment in house building means that there are teams that are still flying during uncertain times. Allen & York are working with some of the UK’s top ground engineering teams. I would love to chat with you to see what options we may have for you to review. Who Dares Wins. CONTACT: Tom Herbert Recruitment Consultant - Environment T: 01202 888986, ext: 270 E: therbert@allen-york.com
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Women in Planning - is diversity an issue?
In short, yes, there are still steps to take on this hot topic. Planning Resource website has published an article on the firms with the highest proportion of female planners following a speech made by Royal Town Planning Institute chief executive Victoria Hills about diversity. "From a planning perspective, it’s really rather simple," she said. "It’s about being representative of the communities we represent." As action speaks louder than words, the institute has now launched a "vision statement" and action plan to be developed next year, to represent society at large. They issued a statement which promised to "…act inclusively, treat everyone fairly, and seek to provide a culture which delivers the best outcomes for the diverse society in which and for whom we work". The 2018 Planning Consultancy Survey revealed variable results regarding female planners employed by leading firms, with the average across all firms being 38 per cent and just 19 per cent at the vast majority of firms being director level. Which means there is still a long way to go for complete parity. Which is “…pretty shocking," according to Charlotte Morphet, co-founder of Women in Planning, the network that champions for gender equality in the planning industry. Only three firms reported a proportion of female planners’ equivalent to 50 per cent or more; Atkins (55 per cent), CBRE (51 per cent) and Arup (50 per cent). Alison Tero, senior director in CBRE’s planning team, stated “It’s about working with the best talent, irrespective of gender." CBRE and Atkins both use initiatives such as "unconscious bias" training to recruit the best talent. Using policies put in place to assist women to stay in post throughout their career, e.g. their enhanced maternity and paternity leave, and having a women’s development programme which offers training in "personal branding" and professional network building to empower women to go for promotions and drive for bigger projects are also initiatives undertaken by CBRE and Atkins respectively. Richard De Cani, head of planning for UK, the Middle East and Africa at Arup, thinks company culture and career pathing plays a big part in attracting a diverse mix of employees too. Flexible working and opportunities for people to move around the business helping this issue too. We agree with Women in Planning and the RTPI that more must be done to encourage the best talents into the profession and use our tried and tested search methodology to ensure we’re finding the right skills for the roles available - regardless of background, gender, age or disability. See the original article here: https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1519916/firms-highest-proportion-female-planners
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2019 Planning Salary Survey
The Allen & York team are constantly connected to the planning and surveying markets and able to offer relevant information ahead of the curve, as such, we’ve developed a Salary Survey specifically for the Planning sector. With market trends for employment, sector insights and salary benchmarking for Town & Transport Planners, the survey brings together information using data from our active candidate and client database (over 250,000 records), alongside a cross section of industry job boards and planning sector sources. If you are a client looking to source the best talent in the market or a candidate looking to see what salary you could command, this is the survey for you. To request your copy, please email: scooney@allen-york.com
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Technology Skills Required for International Development Talent
Digital technology; the use of mobile phones, using social media information for monitoring and evaluation, new software and apps being used in the global health sector, are requiring professionals working across International Development to get techy! International development professionals increasingly need to know how to work with new digital technologies and stay abreast of new software. It might be that you don’t use it every day, but just understanding how technology can be applied to your area of expertise is a good start. Mobile phones have rapidly become one of the most significant tools for data collection within global development programmes and technology is always moving forward. It helps to have some skills and knowledge of the applications being used and can give you a competitive edge, in what is a pretty competitive jobs market. ‘Digital health’ is being flagged as a future technology specialism, with programmers working with health professionals to deliver new digital solutions. It doesn’t mean that everyone needs to know how to write code, but having some understanding of how applications work, would be an advantage. Also, the emergence of new data applications, some of which are free, are enhancing the toolkit of monitoring and evaluation professionals; STATA and SPSS are well worth investigating. To find out more about technological development read this article ‘Keeping up with global development: Skills in demand’, on Devex.com And, if you're looking for a career move or to recruit within the International Development sector, please contact Vildan King at ALLEN & YORK for an initial conversation 01202 888 986 See all international development jobs
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Growing Demand for CDM Consultants
Since the new CDM regulations were introduced in 2015 we have seen a consistent recruitment demand for CDM advisors and consultants to work across the construction, property development and infrastructure sectors. CDM 2015 scrapped the role of CDM coordinator and replaced it with the Principal Designer. The new legislation also created greater accountability on the main client to have the overall responsibility for CDM planning and broadened the definition of a ‘client’ to include any organisation or individual overseeing any kind of construction project. The combination of these factors has arguably muddied the waters, as to who is responsible for what, and increased the work load. Consequently, this has led to a growth in CDM consultancy services and an increased demand for CDM recruitment. Over the last 3 years we have seen fast growing specialist CDM consultancies being established across the UK, as well as the expansion of existing teams within larger multidisciplinary consultancies. CDM advisors and consultants will work on a range of projects, with a number of design teams, which makes the role diverse and challenging. They are expected to have extensive experience of the CDM 2007 & 2015 regulations, be NEBOSH qualified (at minimum) and preferably hold a professional qualification in construction. This is a specialist health and safety career path which demands a particular range of qualifications, and on the whole, this has not been taken on by the Principal Designer. We are currently working with a number of clients who are looking for CDM professionals. If you are looking for a new job or to recruit across CDM, please contact David Ward at ALLEN & YORK 01202 888 986 See all health and safety jobs
