EXHIBITOR PROFILE HAE
“Retail with attitude”
Encouraging young people to enter the hire industry will be a major theme of the HAE stand. Alan Guthrie reports.
An initiative from HAE is helping to raise the profile of hire as a career choice for young people, and is providing the chance for the Association’s members to recruit and train new personnel. The Future Hirers programme was officially launched last year and offers practical support to people aged from 18 to 30, including job seekers and current employees. As well as creating opportunities to gain work experience in our industry, it will be promoting vacancies that need to be filled. Both the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and CITB are supporting the initiative.
“Future Hirers came about following a series of discussions with members of the HAE Board, who recognised that people outside the industry do not appreciate its diversity and the real career opportunities it offers,” said Debbie Garner, the Association’s Senior Membership Development Officer. “They also highlighted the need to address the challenges posed by trying to attract new entrants, at a time when the average age of the general workforce is increasing.
“We are establishing contacts with schools, colleges, universities and other organisations to tell them about hire and to build a gateway into the industry. One recent survey suggested that 82% of schoolchildren do not know the career they want to pursue, and young people’s interests and situations often change. We can dispel some myths, telling them about how, say, hire is quite distinct from the construction industry and is all about getting equipment to the job site on time, meeting challenges and managing all aspects of the job efficiently. We can also encourage more women into the industry. Anyone who works in hire knows that it offers some fascinating job opportunities. Rather than getting a job as a shop assistant or in a department store, hire offers something more demanding and rewarding. It is retail with attitude.”
As part of the initiative, HAE is running a series of Future Hirers events across the country during 2016, including open days at member hire companies’ premises to give people an insight into
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how the industry works. “The first will be held at Bristol-based Alide Hire on 23 March, and other companies holding similar events will include One Stop, Skipton Hire Centres, Martin Plant, Hire Station, Total Tool Hire & Sales and A-Plant. We have been delighted at the response from hirers, and many obviously recognise the need for this scheme. Several supplier members are also involved, offering opportunities to find out more about specific tools and equipment that are commonly supplied by the industry, as well as training in their correct operation and maintenance, and this sort of information could also benefit people who have already been working in hire for some time.”
To support each local event, HAE will be contacting local schools and universities to invite students to attend, and the DWP will promote them to registered job seekers. Several Association members have also offered their services as ‘industry champions’, to visit educational establishments and present a real-life view of hire and the career opportunities it offers.
The Future Hirers launch event was held at the headquarters of JCB, one of the suppliers supporting the initiative.
Already, nearly 100 young people have joined Future Hirers, following contacts made at jobs fairs and recruitment events. HAE will keep them and other new entrants informed about activities in their local area. They also have access to
on-line training and information resources on hire topics such as basic Health & Safety and PAT testing.
“Future Hirers has got off to a flying start and we are looking forward to developing it throughout the coming year,” said Debbie Garner. “We will be promoting the initiative on our stand at the Executive Hire Show, explaining the benefits it offers to hire company managers and their employees, and showing them how they can get involved. We can raise the profile of the industry and make young people realise the special skills that hire professionals have, in an industry where no two days are the same.”
• 0121 380 4600
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