Good news for SME recruiters
Posted by APSCo on March 13, 2012
We always like to know that the work we do adds real value to our members and the wider recruitment sector. And a recent Trade Association Forum (TAF) with speaker Adam Jackson, the Enterprise Director for BIS, appears to confirm that we’re not doing too badly!
Jackson, in his speech, outlined some key issues facing UK SMEs – particular those that were seen as obstacles to growth. Namely: Leadership & Management skills; finance and cash flow; export, technology & innovation and skills & recruitment. After digesting what Jackson had to say, it occurred to us that there is, in fact, a real synergy between those growth obstacles and what we are doing with our members to tackle these issues. So what are we doing?
- Leadership & Management Skills: With industry experts we hold seminars, business forums and an annual conference with both management and strategic tracks, and have developed an MBA in international recruitment management. There are also regular members’ meetings with presentations at a strategic level to help members grow and develop their businesses.
- Finance: We have an FD Forum and a Credit Control Forum with knowledgeable speakers as well as a number of affiliate members who provide banking and invoice financing services. APSCo has also launched a major campaign to tackle the problems of ‘Pay when Paid’ clauses in RPO and MSP contracts and the main theme of our 2012 yearbook will be the Recruitment Supply Chain.
- Export: We have organised trade delegations to Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Singapore & Brazil with further trips planned to China and Hong Kong this year. There will be an international conference in Singapore in September and there are regular European and Rest of World Forums with regular presentations focusing on how to do business in specific countries.
- Technology & Innovation: We hold regular presentations at our Technology Leadership Forum on the latest software and tools available and have developed a detailed white paper on social media policy.
- Skills & Recruitment: We have an HR forum with regular presentations covering employment law and recruitment issues and regular training events such as the recent series of Social Media seminars to help recruiters make best use of different platforms. We have also developed the Recruitment Practice Standard (RPS) to raise the level of skills as well as an E-learning module covering legal and compliance issues.
As the only trade association dedicated to staffing companies placing professionals, it’s vital that we are as relevant as possible to all our members – and we certainly aim to be so with each and every initiative. So if you like what you see, want more information about what we can offer you, get in touch here.
