Street Crane Company gets lift to attract engineering talent
13 March 2013
UK industrial crane and hoist manufacturer Street Crane Company tells Recruiter it has revamped its recruitment strategy to compete more effectively with larger and better-known graduate employers by moving to “a more proactive” approach.
Wed, 13 Mar 2013
UK industrial crane and hoist manufacturer Street Crane Company tells Recruiter it has revamped its recruitment strategy to compete more effectively with larger and better-known graduate employers by moving to “a more proactive” approach.
Kathy Travis, HR manager at the company, which employs around 170 staff, says that whereas a company such as Balfour Beatty is likely to get a good response from placing an advertisement in core graduate publication Prospects magazine, this is less effective for lesser-know companies, such as Street Crane Company.
Travis tells Recruiter that this year the company has “tried to raise its profile” by targeting nearby universities such as Sheffield University, Manchester University and Liverpool, who have strong engineering faculties, and attending careers fairs, and other events.
“We spoke to the students to show then the type of projects we work on, and we explained the engineering opportunities with us. It’s a much more direct relationship approach,” says Travis. The company has received around 60 expressions of interest from each university or event they have visited, she says.
In contrast, Travis says previous efforts to recruit graduates were based on a mixture of advertising opportunities, and individuals approaching the company.
“It’s more proactive than reactive,” adds Travis, summing up the difference between the new and the old approaches.
Travis says the company’s efforts on the graduate side are only one part of its strategy to build a talent pipeline to provide it with the engineers it needs to continue its 20% year-on-year growth,
In addition to three graduate opportunities, this year the company is looking to take on staff four junior staff with HNC/HND or A-Level qualifications, and has created two sponsorship opportunities.
UK industrial crane and hoist manufacturer Street Crane Company tells Recruiter it has revamped its recruitment strategy to compete more effectively with larger and better-known graduate employers by moving to “a more proactive” approach.
Kathy Travis, HR manager at the company, which employs around 170 staff, says that whereas a company such as Balfour Beatty is likely to get a good response from placing an advertisement in core graduate publication Prospects magazine, this is less effective for lesser-know companies, such as Street Crane Company.
Travis tells Recruiter that this year the company has “tried to raise its profile” by targeting nearby universities such as Sheffield University, Manchester University and Liverpool, who have strong engineering faculties, and attending careers fairs, and other events.
“We spoke to the students to show then the type of projects we work on, and we explained the engineering opportunities with us. It’s a much more direct relationship approach,” says Travis. The company has received around 60 expressions of interest from each university or event they have visited, she says.
In contrast, Travis says previous efforts to recruit graduates were based on a mixture of advertising opportunities, and individuals approaching the company.
“It’s more proactive than reactive,” adds Travis, summing up the difference between the new and the old approaches.
Travis says the company’s efforts on the graduate side are only one part of its strategy to build a talent pipeline to provide it with the engineers it needs to continue its 20% year-on-year growth,
In addition to three graduate opportunities, this year the company is looking to take on staff four junior staff with HNC/HND or A-Level qualifications, and has created two sponsorship opportunities.
- Click for more on graduate recruitment issues from recruiter.co.uk
