Who does the Facilities industry need?
The employer responses from the 2008 Facilities Sector Consultation pointed to a perception that newcomers in the industry are not "work ready" and do not have the right attitude to work in an entry level role.
Interestingly, this research pinpointed the value of soft skills over more technical skills. Although there are undeniable advantages to knowing the latest software, the rate of technical development moves at such a pace that this knowledge can be made obsolete quickly. Employers cited a preference for a well-rounded member of staff over a technical able, but less socially accomplished member of staff.
Skillset research has indicated the following areas are key for new entrants:
- Customer service - As a service industry, the client is at the heart of the great majority of operations. Some of the most junior roles (such as runners, assistants and receptionists) can be the most customer-facing. As is often said, clients are hard won and easily lost.
- Speaking and self presentation - again, these skills relate to customer service but are of key importance in this sector. For example, an operator working within outside broadcast may have all things technical under control, but if they are not able to reassure a nervous client this may not be recognised.
- Good timekeeping and self organisation - good organisation skills are highly sought after in all industries, but particularly in facilities where deadlines are tight and transmissions could be live.
- Good numeracy / literacy skills and attention to detail - entry level roles are often responsible for a large about of "data wrangling". Logging information, writing captions and titles as well as monitoring numerical data need to be accurate in a pressurised environment.
Skillset research has pointed to the following developmental needs for those already climbing the ladder:
- Technical curiosity - particularly in the engineering roles found within all areas of facilities. The ability to think creatively about problem solving and the desire to understand how things work will take an employee far.
- Management and leadership - a formal level of business training is desirable in an industry which frequently promotes staff into management roles without previous business management experience.
- Multi tasking - the emergence of the ‘preditor' role (a combined producer and editor) and a time of financial hardship for the industry has seen some job roles converge.
For more information on our research work, please visit Skillset's Research pages.