Adrian Adair, operations director at Morson International, discusses the importance of working together to attract people into the rail sector. Over the past 7 years Adrian’s passion for innovation and commitment to delivering tailored solutions to employees, candidates and clients alike put him at the forefront of our industry. This article is also featured in July's edition of Recruitment International. Delivering the Government’s growing infrastructure and construction pipeline will contribute to solving a number of national concerns around regional inequalities, productivity and housing shortages, whilst delivering new opportunities in urbanisation, connectivity and sustainability. Rail travel is an essential part of this strategy and HS2 will be the new backbone of Britain’s national rail network. Europe’s largest engineering and construction project will create an estimated 25,000 interim roles, 3,100 permanent positions in operations and maintenance and more than 2,000 new apprenticeships, providing golden opportunities for suppliers and recruiters alike. Developing a sustainable talent pipeline Morson International, together with sister company Vital Rail, has been mapping HS2 from its infancy to understand the complete project lifecycle and skills requirements. Understanding the demands of the project, including the stakeholders’ objectives, targets and challenges, will help Morson to develop a sustainable talent pipeline, using HS2 Ltd’s Skills, Education and Employment (SEE) outputs as a guide for achieving this. To better interpret the SEE outputs and identify how Morson International, Vital Rail and the wider Morson Group can collaborate with its delivery partners, the Group brought together key opinion leaders from HS2 Ltd and the project supply chain to debate the opportunities and challenges, with senior representatives in attendance from BBV, Bechtel, CEK, Mott MacDonald and WSP. Collaborating for better results Collaboration, together with innovation and sustainability, are key principles of HS2’s delivery framework and will determine the effectiveness of the project and its overarching goals. There was real appetite from every organisation around the table to work together to achieve collective change, by preventing duplication of effort and increasing the effectiveness of training, recruitment and diversity programmes; but this collaboration must stretch further than the Tier 1 contractors and their own supply chains. HS2 presents significant opportunity for the recruitment industry, not only to deliver the thousands of niche and volume skillsets required throughout the project lifecycle, but to upskill an entire generation through apprenticeships and skills development opportunities for those already working within the sector. Yet the delivery timescales of the project align with a number of other major projects in the UK, including Hinkley Point C, highways schemes and airport transformations, increasing the demand for talent within what is already a limited talent pool of resources. The Brexit impact Recruiting and retaining the talent required to build the high-speed rail network is also further impacted by the Brexit decision. Britain’s eventual exit from the EU will see the rail industry lose 10 per cent of its workforce, a figure that could be even higher in some areas, particularly in the South East of England where EU nationals make up around 40 per cent of the construction workforce. We’re supporting HS2’s supply chain to work together to overcome the challenges that come with delivering the complexities and sheer scale of the project within the current social and political climate; and these same collaborative principles must be applied to the wider recruitment industry. Recruiters can no longer sit in isolation and instead must work in alliance to provide the entire supply chain with the best talent, especially during peak periods. Collaborative working has an important role to play in helping the industry complete critical infrastructure projects efficiently and cost effectively, and set the benchmark for the delivery of all major projects within the forthcoming pipeline. We’ve built integrated partnerships with a number of recruiters throughout the UK, from boutique agencies through to global leaders, and we’re always looking for new, like-minded partners to share best practice and create bespoke talent-based solutions that service all levels of a project. Talent-based solutions In response to the roundtable debate, Morson International, together with Vital Rail and Morson Vital Training, has developed a detailed whitepaper entitled ‘Skills on track: Future proofing the rail industry’, which outlines a number of bespoke talent strategies and techniques that support the achievement of a contractor’s SEE outputs and works to meet the specific skill levels required during key delivery points. The rail industry has one of the most positive forward outlooks, with more than £14billion due to be invested into the sector over the next decade. The whitepaper builds upon the insights gained from the Tier 1 contractors and their supply chain partners, which combined with our own expertise and knowledge of harnessing talent to help meet the demands of our clients working on some of the most ambitious infrastructure schemes, details the effective strategies that must be adopted to ensure HS2’s successful delivery. The importance of apprenticeships Engineering new perceptions around the sector and improving education and guidance, particularly from primary school age upwards, are two major factors detailed throughout the whitepaper report, which recruiters must play an active role in helping to improve. HS2 Ltd is committed to improving the take of apprenticeships during the project’s construction and operation phases and the whitepaper sheds light on what actions are needed to effectively achieve this core objective. There was unanimous agreement around the table that the current perceptions of apprenticeships being a ‘last resort’ are preventing young people from choosing this aspirational route. A number of Tier 1 contractors gave examples of how their own apprenticeship schemes, even those at higher levels, were being dismissed by parents and young people as a viable alternative to traditional A Level and University routes. Whilst parents still remain a major blocker, more needs to be done to promote the career opportunities in rail at a far younger age, something that we’re already working to achieve by partnering with education providers from primary school age right through to degree level. The whitepaper examines in detail a number of effective solutions that will work to ensure the successful delivery of HS2 and the achievement of its core objectives, including prioritising more spending at primary school level to educate teachers in becoming ambassadors for vocational training, and awareness campaigns to showcase engineering as an aspirational career path and dispel stereotypes. Attracting people into the sector Collectively, these solutions, combined with active strategies to support in-career transitioning to attract workers with similar skillsets, will support the upskilling of the current workforce and build a sustainable and diverse pipeline of talent that also works to attract people from underrepresented and hard to reach groups. Collaboration is the core theme running throughout the whitepaper and in response, Morson International has proposed launching a new HS2 ‘Think Tank’ to oversee, coordinate and facilitate joint effort amongst the supply chain, strengthen industry-wide initiatives and provide a vehicle for driving real action and progression. Collectively we can make recruitment stronger and we are committed to bringing real change, which is a case that we’re bringing to MPs, education providers and other key stakeholders to turn talk into action. HS2 is only the beginning and we’re working to replicate the same strategies to other major projects, including Hinkley Point C. Establishing shared goals with powerful solutions requires effective collaboration and we’ll be delivering a number of supplier days and workshops over the coming months with our like-minded recruitment partners, particularly those in the SME space, to upskill and improve industry-wide talent matching. We manage £multi-million contracts for our clients and these intelligent solutions rooted in collaboration and sustainability will achieve the best outcomes. For more information download our ‘Skills on track: Future proofing the rail industry’ whitepaper. To find your opportunity on HS2, search our latest rail jobs now.
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Today we celebrate #WorldEmojiDay (yes, there's literally a day for anything). From the depths of current job boredom, to the nerves of interview and elation of an offer - we chart the emotional rollercoaster that is a job search with the help of our expressive friends > Top links: Ready to start your job search? Search our latest jobs Get interview ready with Morson's Interview Tips Read up on the latest career advice Get industry news and the latest insights from Morson in the Candidate Hub Get found by our recruiters - create a candidate profile Register your CV and create job alerts to get relevant job direct to your inbox require(["mojo/signup-forms/Loader"], function(L) { L.start({"baseUrl":"mc.us12.list-manage.com","uuid":"70b8229547533b3af4724b408","lid":"28a6020019"}) })
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England’s World Cup campaign was a massive surprise to the nation as they made it to the semi- finals for the first time since 1990. Much of the team consisted of players who are far from the era of superstars of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, with stand outs this time being the likes of Jordan Pickford, Harry Kane and Harry Maguire. We look at how diversity, unity and the confidence to challenge convention can lead to success on the pitch and in business. Developing talent Experiencing successes and failures is a key way to develop an agile and resilient team. Most of England’s squad have been willing to adapt from a young age while moving up the pyramid system where they have made mistakes that have been integral to their growth. A key example in the England national side is Jordan Pickford, who played regular football at the likes of Carlisle United and Bradford City before returning to his loan club, Sunderland and earning a move to Everton. This steady progress made the transition through the league systems seamless due to the experience and freedom to learn being available. Having an environment where young players/employees are free to find their feet and thrive rather than be in a restricted atmosphere will allow them to be more assertive and confident in their decision making through hands on experience. Diversity On the other hand, the side also contained young talent that have been nurtured by some of Europe’s top sides from the youth developmental system such as Marcus Rashford and Trent Alexander Arnold. Both have only experienced football at its highest level at each stage of their career, meaning that they will most likely have been taught to deal with high pressure situations from a young age. This diversity of people from different backgrounds is essential for success in the work place also, as a team of individuals from the same background in terms of their professional experiences wouldn’t see as much innovation as a group of individuals who bring different life experiences to the table. Challenge convention The decision in terms of who made the final squad for the World Cup is also a great example of how challenging conventions and taking risks are necessary to succeed in any career. Gareth Southgate threw away the idea of big name players making the list purely for their past success, instead rewarding players the opportunity for their stellar seasons alone. The inclusion of the likes of Ashley Young, Kieran Trippier and Ruben Loftus Cheek initially raised eyebrows for their inclusions due to their lack of high level international experience. All three men have performed brilliantly and have proven that it is wise to find comfort in the uncomfortable and to make decisions that may not please everybody but you feel are correct in the long run. Unity The closeness of the England squad throughout the World Cup has been abundantly clear. Their commitment to each other and working for the good of the team has been obvious both on and off the pitch and has paid dividends. It’s a stark contrast to previous years - Rio Ferdinand has previously stated that he found it difficult to be friends with England players in rival teams. This can also be directly linked to success for businesses as according to research from Gallup, employees that feel a great connection with members of their team are more likely to take positive actions that will benefit the business. Even though England didn’t go all the way, there are many positives that we can take and build upon both on the pitch and in the board room. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */
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To mark the Year of Engineering, the very first schools STEM competition to recycle used petrol go karts and turn them into high powered electric versions is being piloted this summer with five teams from Bolton, Wigan and Lancashire taking part. The teams are made up of young people aged 13 -18 years old. The fully-electric prototype vehicles will take to the track at Three Sisters Racing Circuit in Wigan on the 17 July (9am to 2pm) to test which is the fastest. Judging will be based on performance, design, energy storage and how well the teams work together to problem solve. The ProtoEV Challenge is the brainchild of Manchester based tech education specialists The Blair Project and Blackburn College’s Regional Automotive Technology Hub, with funding from Greater Manchester Higher and a range of sponsors and supporters including CAL International who specialize in designing and testing automotive concepts, Carbon Performance, PWHytek, Siemens, Northern Automotive Alliance, NIS Integrated Engineering and Prof John Perkins former Chief Scientific Adviser. All share a commitment to inspire and enthuse the next generation of technicians and engineers. Tragedy struck earlier this month when one of the school teams, Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley had their self build kart stolen. Within hours of a crowdfunding campaign being set up to raise £4k to buy back the kart kit, the Morson Group in collaboration with the Morson Maker Space at The University of Salford stepped in to provide the sponsorship so the team could continue to compete. Blair Project CEO Nile Henry (22) said “The project is intended to inspire young people to get excited about science, technology and engineering using the exhilaration of motorsport innovation and design. There is a serious shortage of young people going into tech and engineering in the UK and the current school curriculum is not geared up to address it. We’re trying to plug that gap, by providing a project-based learning activity that gives young people the hands on, practical experience and life skills that employers want, as well as the inspiration and motivation to pursue well paid careers in engineering and tech that they might otherwise not have thought about.” According to Engineering UK, the engineering sector needs to employ 203,000 new people per year with the requisite skills. The annual shortfall of engineering graduates and engineering-related apprentices is close to 60,000. Adrian Adair, Operations Director at Morson International added, “We have several key engineering projects in the North West, not least HS2, and it’s critical that we work to bridge any skills gaps by attracting the best new talent in our region and for young bright minds to take up engineering skills and set them up for future careers right here in the North of England.” ProtoEV will be scaled up as a Greater Manchester wide championship in 2019 involving up to 20 x schools and colleges, with plans to roll it out into London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Cardiff, and then export it into the USA the following year as a potential feeder series for Formula E. A small delegation of pupils and teachers will travel to the USA this autumn to visit other cutting edge STEM projects in New York and Florida. For many pupils, it will be the first time they have travelled outside of the UK. The visit will also be used to develop greater transatlantic trade links for the partners and sponsors involved in the project helped by UK Trade & Investment and Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. The Blair Project has also begun working with international tech partners and gaming specialists in India to develop a Global E-Learning Platform which will use gamification to teach STEM principles in a way that taps into how young people learn best. Join @MorsonGroup on Twitter for the action as it happens on the 17th July. Find your next engineering opportunity, search the latest engineering jobs.
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The World Cup certainly gave us some surprises this summer and Wimbledon has had one or two of its own, with favourite Roger Federer knocked out in the quarterfinals. As Andy Murray sits in the commentary box, hopes for a thrilling semi-final rest on Nadal and Djokovic as they go toe to toe on the grass this afternoon. However, none of this would be possible without the behind the scenes engineering innovations that make the game so great. We take a look at three of these: Hawk-eye Hawk-Eye has been an integral part of tennis since 2002 and continues to truly enhance the game for federations, tournaments, broadcasters, sponsors, academics and fans. Used in over 80 tournaments around the world, Hawk-Eye’s ITF approved Electronic Line Calling service takes the doubt out of close line calls by using the most sophisticated and accurate (to the millimetre) ball tracking cameras to identify whether a ball has bounced in or out. Using a technology called Computer Vision (central to speed cameras and robotics), the system measures the bounce point of the ball relative to the global coordinates of the tennis court, and then tries to infer the position of that bounce point relative to the line. These ball location estimates are then combined with ball ballistics (i.e. the rise in temperature caused by the collision of the ball on the ground). This electronic judging mostly gets it right - more often than humans do - but there are no absolutes. Centre Court Roof Gone are the days of having to watch the game at Wimbledon under a murky, rain-filled sky with the new all-weather multi-million-pound motorised roof. The enclosed environment that took three years to build provides the players with fantastic and most importantly, dry playing conditions when the weather is unfavourable. The translucent roof takes a total of eight minutes to close, controlled by variable-speed drivers to ensure it moves at no more than 214mm per second. It weighs a staggering 3,000 tonnes and stands 16 metres above the court surface. Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters were the first players to play under the new structure, which opened on 17th May 2009. Real-Time Performance Data In professional tennis, players and coaches can now access real-time performance data on an iPad during live match play. The software provides insight to help players and coaches analyse the performance of players and optimise the strategy accordingly. It could potentially be the difference between winning and losing a match – or even a championship. At the Wimbledon 2017 championship, it is estimated that a huge 53,713,514 data points were analysed. The data is used in many different ways including delivering historical perspective, live stats, predictive analytics, serve direction and much more. To find your next opportunity, search our latest engineering jobs. To keep up-to-date with the latest from our #TeamMorson ambassadors and sporting news, follow our Twitter page @MorsonGroup and Instagram @weare_morson.
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The England football team could potentially be hours away from their first FIFA World Cup final since 1966. Morson sales director, David Lynchehaun, gives his thoughts on the man leading the charge... The nation didn’t see this coming but some excellent leadership from Gareth Southgate has seen the England team power through to unexpected and welcome success. Leaders become great not because of their power but their ability to empower others and this has been seen in the England camp throughout the tournament. In this blog, I pick five of Southgate’s key traits which demonstrate the hallmarks of a great leader, and how this can translate into the working environment. Invest in the future Remember when Alan Hansen famously said “you can’t win anything with kids” of Manchester United before they stormed into a decade of footballing dominance? Nothing could be further from the truth. Fresh-faced youth often needs the contribution of experience however; for every Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes, there was a Denis Irwin and a Peter Schmeichel to guide them. But investment is key, and the young employees of today are the business leaders of tomorrow, in the same way that many of the best managers in the world today are themselves former players. When Southgate missed that penalty for England in Euro 96, the experience, coupled with the leadership around him, made him grow into the man to lead the national team into their first ever World Cup penalty win. This is why it’s vital to nurture younger talent, so when the time comes for them to take over from you, they’ve been nourished with enough guidance to make them excel. Southgate’s trust in such a young squad has been rewarded richly at this World Cup. What’s particularly key is that he managed a lot of these players at under-21 level previously, and the bonds formed from this time have been crucial in the current success for both parties. At Morson we’ve seen similar successes with our employees who served apprenticeships. Indeed, our first apprentice started with us in 1980 is now our client services director, passing his knowledge down throughout the business. It’s about building a pipeline of talent. Understand individuals Like any great football team, a successful working environment is made up of a collection of very different people with very different personalities and skillsets. You get the sense Southgate knows each of these players inside out. This probably comes from his experience with them from under-21 level (see above point regarding the importance of youth) and will have done wonders for the teams’ prospects in Russia and beyond. Sir Alex Ferguson was a great leader in this respect. He recognised that in order to get the best out of his players, he would have to tailor the way he treated them (he reportedly never once shouted at Eric Cantona, even after his infamous kung-fu kick). Do they need an arm over their shoulder, or do they need the ‘hairdryer’? The same is true in business. Understanding what makes each employee tick is crucial to getting the best out of everyone. Nobody is claiming England are the most talented squad of individuals at the World Cup – but they sure work well as a team. Likewise, there is a lot more to attracting the best talent than increases in salary and nowadays it’s critical that employers and leaders understand the individual employee issues that impact retention. Having an awareness that generational groups have distinctive workplace wants and needs is an essential step in attracting the right people for your business. Morson’s Recruiting Rockstars feature discusses these generational demands and the impact they have in the workplace. Keep a cool head publicly Throughout the World Cup, Gareth Southgate has kept himself remarkably calm and reserved, both during press conferences and during the matches themselves. Of course, there are bursts of passion when England score or win, but for the most Southgate cuts a cool figure. Inside, he will likely be full of thoughts, worries and excitement, but it’s imperative he remains level headed for the benefit of his players. For the vast majority of this squad, this will be their first taste of a major international football tournament and setting a calm example even during high pressure moments is key to fostering an environment that will perform well when challenged. Be honest One thing that has garnered a lot of praise from the sporting press during Southgate’s time as England manager has been his honesty when speaking of (and to) his players. Before the tournament began, he spoke openly of this being an experimental set of players that might not be fully at their peak but asked for patience as he looks to develop the next generation. He also demands honesty from his players. Speaking before the 2-0 win over Sweden in the quarter-finals, he made it clear that he would not tolerate players pretending to be fully fit in order to retain their place in the starting 11 that would jeopardise the team’s chances. Being realistic and honest with employees with regards to their own personal goals and where you see them fitting in within the business is an efficient way to lead. It allows both parties to be on the same page immediately. Asking for honesty as well as demonstrating it yourself is a classic hallmark of leadership. Southgate’s players will respect this and as a result abide by his rule. Don’t steal all the praise when things go well With a national frenzy being whipped up in recent weeks, Southgate has found him elevated to a level of national adoration and respect not seen in an England manager since Sir Bobby Robson. Some people might let this go to their head (image how someone like Zlatan Ibrahimović would have reacted to this level of praise) but Southgate is quick to downplay this: “I always think it is dangerous for a start,” said Southgate. “Because I’ve got a lot of faults and I have done plenty of things wrong. It’s obviously a nice moment but it’s probably a good thing that we are away [from it].” He is both humbled by, and recognises the threat of, the fact that he has been elevated into a position of reverence. Likewise, should England confound expectation and actually bring it home, you know the first comments he makes will be in relation to ‘they’ or ‘we’ rather than ‘I’. Listen to his post-match comments from the win over Sweden: “I can’t speak highly enough of the whole squad and the whole group of staff, because it is so united and their level of work and commitment to each other has been great.” When things go well in your organisation, be sure to pass the praise onto those with whom you worked and mentored. Instantly making any victory about yourself will sour your reputation among colleagues and make them less likely to want to work with you, or for you, again. Is it coming home? We dare to dream!
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