Member Article

Skilledpeople.com innovates employment options for SMEs

Skilledpeople.com, the online recruitment service that matches experienced candidates, typically aged over 50, with SMEs, has launched an innovative ‘Project Assignment’ service. This recruitment option allows small companies to think big with a small budget, by employing experts at modest cost.

A daily rate not exceeding £185, is agreed upfront between the parties for short term project work. This enables businesses to hire skilled people, for periods from one to 20 days, to undertake specialist tasks with a cap on costs. Filling their skills gaps in this way adds real value to a business and allows it to develop in a planned and professional way.

Skilledpeople.com spotted a gap in the market for SMEs that require well qualified and experienced people to undertake short term business assignments, enabling their businesses to develop at a faster rate and lower cost.

Chairman, David Hiddleston, who launched the site with a colleague after retirement commented:

“We felt there was not much in the recruitment market aimed at older people who had retired early, been made redundant, needed extra income to top up a pension or were just bored being at home. It seemed obvious to us that their skills and experience could be most of benefit to SMEs and start-ups.”

One of the key barriers to SME business growth is access to experienced affordable people who can undertake required projects in areas ranging from business planning, marketing, health and safety, and HR. Skilledpeople.com helps SMEs meet this need from its growing UK wide database of 12,000 people.

John Walker, National Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“We know that almost four million people aged 50-64 are out of work, and with the removal of the default retirement age, there are more older skilled workers that could be looking for work

“Initiatives like this will help older workers who still want to contribute to the economy to find new job opportunities. Small firms also find it hard to find skilled workers: this service could help them grow and take on new contracts using experienced and knowledgeable people.”

The Project Assignment service gives access to candidates with typically 25 years or more career experience that have the skills and know-how to engage with a business instantly. As a UK wide organisation skilledpeople.com can match people in different locations and will be of particular help to those in rural and remote areas not generally available locally from anywhere in the UK. For example a business in rural Devon could have a Business Plan prepared by someone in London without ever meeting face to face.

Behind skilledpeople.com is database matching technology which allows employers to identify appropriate candidates using ‘sniper’ techniques rather than the ‘shotgun’ approach of generalist recruitment sites, where any given job or assignment posting can return hundreds of unsuitable replies.

Skilledpeople.com makes candidate selection and recruitment more time efficient because SMEs can search the CV database before placing a job advertisement to confirm if candidates suit their needs, making it a much more accurate and efficient recruitment process.

The site believes that small businesses need support to move the UK out of recession and equally that there is a danger of losing a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience from people aged over 50 who often find themselves under-employed.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Raemie Nivlag .

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