Member Article

Calibre to target buoyant construction sector

Yorkshire and Manchester-based recruitment consultancy Calibre Search is building on double-digit growth achieved in 2014 with the launch of a new specialist division, targeting the region’s buoyant construction sector.

Mark Brennan has joined the team to head up the division working with the region’s blue chip and SME clients to help them attract the best talent.

As the construction industry struggles with a skills drought and the resulting competition for talent, Calibre Search is confident employers and candidates who adopt a new approach to recruitment will reap the benefits of the resurgence in activity across the sector.

Despite moves by many of the larger companies to take recruitment activities in-house with HR teams relying on online and social media platforms to fill vacancies, the value of the jobs industry is growing, as revealed by data from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) which shows that last year the industry rose above its pre-recession peak

Calibre Search managing director Mark Lyons is confident the trend looks set to continue with further growth fuelled in part by demand for recruitment support from the construction sector.

“Our specialist built environment divisions have seen strong growth in the last year, and we are keen to extend our provision to cover the whole construction sector as it emerges from recession.

“Mark’s appointment follows our recent expansion into Cost Consultancy and Project Management with the appointment of senior consultant Nick Rhodes, and we’ll also be introducing an Architecture specialist before Easter,” said Mark.

Much has been written about the industry’s skills shortage and the increasingly fierce competition for the right candidates. The latest Deloitte’s Leeds Crane Survey, published at the end of February, shows a significant increase in new construction starts, and with the recovery gathering momentum, the skills shortage will become more of a challenge for the region’s employers.

“Mark has a great track record and shares our vision for creating a consultancy which clients and candidates regard as a recruitment partner, sourcing the right individuals and opportunities in line with their own business objectives. He is a great addition to our team,” added Mark Lyons.

Mark Brennan has 15 years’ experience in construction recruitment, working with some of the region’s biggest employers on high profile projects in the civil engineering, construction and housing sectors.

“Joining the Calibre team is a great opportunity for me to grow a specialist division on an already established brand to create a 360 degree consultancy which challenges perceptions of our industry.

“Construction recruitment is headed towards meltdown as employers compete in what is increasingly becoming a rat race for talent. Gone are the days when we could call on an infinite pool of talent at the end of the phone; a more consultative approach to sourcing candidates is required. It’s an approach which is already working well, with Calibre’s team doubling in size across the North of England last year,” he said.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .