FEATURE FOCUS: RECRUITMENT
that many are choosing to return to work to top up their pensions, to keep physically and mentally active, or to stay social and engage with their local community. School support roles are ideal for meeting these interests and offer a win-win solution for school teams as well as mature professionals looking to return to work.
The value of potential: transferable skills, experience, and personal attributes Traditional recruitment methods often place heavy emphasis on strict qualification and experience criteria but with the current challenges facing schools, it may be beneficial to re-assess essential versus desirable application criteria. Whilst it is an appealing quick fix to recruit a candidate who has previously worked in a school estates role, a lack of previous experience or formal qualifications should not necessarily be a disqualifying factor during the application stage.
As we have established, many mature workers are returning to the workplace to seek social engagement and a sense of teamwork, so this is a great place to start in the recruitment process. Additionally, with many having had children and grandchildren of their own, older workers tend to bring experience in communicating with young people and have developed a sense of safeguarding responsibilities which is always highly valuable in any setting catering for the young or vulnerable.
“The most rewarding aspect of my work supporting schools has been seeing the response from the teachers and pupils when I have completed tasks that help to create a better working and learning environment for them. It has also been great working alongside the school team - they have made me feel welcome and like a valued member of staff. I feel that my support has helped the teachers to carry out their duties and has made a small, but important, contribu- tion towards the smooth running of the school.” - TIB Caretaker, Alvin.
The value of an applicant’s potential can be demonstrated in a range of ways, including transferable skills from other professions, life experience and personal proficiencies, and a willingness to learn – all of which can open the door to a more diverse and dynamic workforce. At TIB Services, many of our site staff are recruited from long careers with the emergency services, British military, engineering and trades. They are all able to demonstrate DIY skills, problem-solving abilities, and attention to detail, all of which are transferable and valuable to school estates roles.
Putting skills to one side for a moment, we regularly hear from schools that are looking for a friendly caretaker. Personal qualities tend to be secondary in the recruitment process after relevant skills and experience, however, an amicable and personable school caretaker is always a valuable addition to any school team.
With all of this in mind, we can establish the value of potential in a variety of skills, experience, and personal qualities but there are, of course, many duties and responsibilities related to estates roles that will require additional training or experience. Maintaining swimming pools, completing water and fire alarm testing, and learning how to use relevant software to record compliance will usually require further training. This introduces another area to consider in our recruitment strategy: to see additional training and upskilling as a valuable recruitment and retention asset.
Upskilling and training opportunities While experience is a key asset, mature workers are not stagnant in their skill sets; many are eager to learn and adapt to new and changing technologies. Schools can bridge the skills gap by providing upskilling and training opportunities tailored to the specific needs of their estates staff. This not only enhances the capabilities of the workforce but also fosters a culture of continuous learning.
We offer training opportunities for all candidates, including legionella testing, COSHH, fire safety, asbestos awareness, and Safeguarding Level 2 as part of our recruitment strategy at TIB Services. Offering training packages like these has two different but important effects: learning opportunities boost confidence for candidates who may not have worked in a school site support role before, and for those who have prior experience in the sector, it ensures that their training and knowledge is up to date with new guidelines and policies. Again, when looking to foster a culture of continuous learning, it is important to consider that candidates who already have experience in a relevant role can
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still be offered the opportunity to learn and grow. Offering further training instils trust and confidence in an employer and is likely to benefit you in terms of the retention of your site staff.
Retention and long-term strategy We have seen how navigating the challenges of recruiting estates staff requires a thoughtful approach. Embracing the over 50s workforce is not just a solution to the current scarcity of skilled workers but a strategic move towards building a more resilient and diverse team. By recognising the transferable skills, life experience, and potential of older workers, schools can not only address their immediate staffing needs but also foster a workplace culture that values continuous learning and innovation. In doing so, educational institutions can build estates teams that are not only adept at maintaining facilities but also contribute to the overall success and growth of the school community.
The key should then be to employ a strategy which highlights the continuous and evolving. Employee skills, learning, and experience are not stagnant and like this, the recruitment process should be constantly developing too. Once the candidate is recruited to the estate’s vacancy, our strategy should switch to the retention of staff which is also an ongoing process and has often proved challenging for many schools in the current climate. Part of our best practice at TIB involves regular check-ins and feedback requests with our site staff and schools. Communication is essential for our temporary supply staff, as well as permanent hires in order to maintain an understanding of successes, challenges, and spaces for improvement – allowing for an environment which fosters constant development. Overall, adopting this strategy has increased the quantity and quality of our applications, and has improved our recruitment and retention process at TIB. Whilst the fix to the challenges surrounding estates recruitment is complex, we should be continuing to develop our recruitment strategy to meet the ever-changing jobs market, and the requirements of each individual school site team. TIB Services is available to assist schools on an interim supply basis, or to support with their recruitment processes in this mission nationwide.
March 2024
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