EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Sector Skills Agreement – Priority Occupations in the Asset Skills Sector

Sector Skills Agreement – Priority Occupations in the Asset Skills Sector

Introduction

The purpose of the research is to examine in much more detail the key issues facing each Asset Skills industry – Housing, Property Cleaning and Facilities Management - in relation to recruitment and skill development.

Description

In order to examine the key recruitment and skill issues Asset Skills has undertaken a process of identifying and agreeing a number of ‘priority occupations’ within each industry. Using evidence and consultation, a number of priority occupations were identified. In addition, Asset Skills also undertook an extensive process of consultation with members of each industry board in order to obtain endorsement for the priority occupations that should be the focus of attention.

The ten priority occupations were:

Housing Managers,
Housing Development staff,
Chartered Surveyors,
Home Inspectors,
Estate Agents,
Block Managers,
Town Planners,
Cleaning operatives,
Cleaning supervisors/managers
and Facilities managers.

Background information

This examination is considered to be fundamentally important in highlighting the way that current training and skill development activities undertaken by HE, HE and private sector providers may need to change in the future in order to meet the needs of each industry.

Guidance provided to all Sector Skills Councils in the UK in carrying out their assessment of training provision also emphasised the critical importance of focussing on key skill areas and areas of current and future skill shortage.

Methodology

In order to examine the key recruitment and skill issues Asset Skills has undertaken a process of identifying and agreeing a number of ‘priority occupations’ within each industry.

Using evidence obtained from the Skill Needs Assessment, consultation undertaken with employers and professional bodies / associations a number of priority occupations were identified.

Interviews were conducted with staff (see examples in summary section) and relevant organisations to idenity the context, recruitment difficulties and skills needs and gaps.

Conclusions

In term of conclusions regarding recruitment difficulties, many sectors reported problems around:

lack of qualifications,
attracting people in to the sector,
reliance on overseas recruitment,
decreasing pool of skilled individuals with relevant experience,
'bottlenecking' of career progression opportunities,
traditional gender and age associations with certain roles,
retention of quality,
skilled workers in the sector.

In terms of skills needs and gaps, sectors reported:

gaps between academic knowledge and reality of job,
deficiency of relevant skills in the market,
sharp learning curves with the introduction of new processes / technology,
poor training opportunities and informal 'on the job' training.

Contact info

Asset Skills
enquiries@assetskills.org

Publication date

Project finished

/09/2006

Researcher

Dr. Sally Walters

Links

Visit the Asset Skills website

Download the 'Priority Occupations in the Asset Skills Sector' Report (DOC, Eng, 575 KB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment

Keywords

Training, Urban economy