Leading national skills council appoints Gordons to deliver innovative approach
Wednesday 27th November 2013
The sector skills council for the housing, construction and facilities management industries has appointed Yorkshire law firm Gordons to help build and retain talent within the sectors.
Asset Skills has recruited Gordons to provide industry participants with an intensive talent brokerage service, combining its strategic human resources (HR) experience and legal expertise.
Gordons’ activity will now include working with employers in the three sectors seeking talent or looking to support employees changing roles, wanting career progression or leaving their organisations. Working collaboratively with Asset Skills, Gordons will hold talent workshops for individuals working in these industries seeking job advancement, covering issues such as producing effective CVs, interview techniques and gaps in relevant skills.
Asset Skills is one of 21 councils established by the Government to tackle designated industries’ skills and productivity needs throughout the UK. It works with the facilities management, housing, property, cleaning and parking sectors to develop standards underpinning new apprenticeships and vocational qualifications. Asset Skills works closely with professional bodies, housing associations, private firms and higher education providers to address skills gaps and improve workforce training.
The organisation also: trains advisors on the Green Deal, the scheme incentivising businesses and home-owners to install environmentally-friendly measures in their buildings; offers Routes to Employment, which helps long-term unemployed people and ex-offenders find and stay in work; and runs projects on talent management and careers promotion. In addition, it conducts labour market intelligence and insight reports for the industries it covers.
Sarah Bentley, chief executive, Asset Skills, said: “We were impressed by Gordons’ commitment to building relationships with our members and understanding their requirements. In recent years, talent management has become a priority for organisations worldwide, due to a shortage in skilled staff, particularly managers.”
Ms Bentley said her organisation wanted to ensure talent was retained within the Asset Skills sector and was confident Gordons’ brokerage service would help achieve that.
Gordons’ Sheena Pickersgill, a former executive director of corporate services with West Yorkshire passenger transport authority Metro, has over 18 years’ experience of talent management.
She said: “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Sarah and her team on this ground-breaking new project. We’ll be working in partnership with employers and individuals in these economically vital sectors to ensure talent is retained.”
Gordons’ initial talent workshops for individuals in the Asset Skills sector take place at the firm’s offices in Whitehall Road, Leeds, on 17 December, 28 January and 13 February. People wanting to book places at them and potential clients seeking more information about Gordons’ talent retention brokerage service should contact Ms Pickersgill on 0113 227 0394 or email Sheena.pickersgill@gordonsllp.com
Other clients benefiting from Gordons’ innovative ability to fuse its HR and legal expertise include leading Harrogate-based bus operator Transdev Blazefield, which runs services in North and West Yorkshire, plus Lancashire.
Gordons LLP is a leading law firm, providing straightforward, practical advice and support. One of the UK’s most successful practices, it has been established for about 170 years, has offices in Leeds and Bradford, employs 265 people and has a turnover of more than £25.3m. Clients include Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc, construction and high performance materials manufacturer Saint Gobain, international brewers Molson Coors, greetings card retailer Card Factory and the world’s largest electrical heating business Glen Dimplex.
Further details of Asset Skills can be found at www.assetskills.org.