Navigating PFI Handback: Key Strategies for Successful Contract Completion

The shape of contractual relationships in PFI are changing as many contracts enter the advised 7-year handback window and new teams come in to manage the handback, and personnel are reassigned to meet demand. As the industry completes more handbacks, the aim is to create a central space for data sharing that will provide solutions and best practice models, as well as best practice recommendations for contract completion.

Skills shortages in facilities management are still causing headaches for hiring managers who continue to have some long term vacancies on the books. This has led to hiring managers considering different approaches to filling roles; including drilling down on which skills are absolutely essential, looking at candidates from other parts of FM or alternate sectors, offering significant training and development packages, and evaluate candidates based their soft skills where appropriate.

National Careers Week focuses on bringing young people into the world of work. It aims to provide children, teens, and young adults in education visibility of a large range of roles across all sectors. The Facilities Management sector has invested time and resource into showcasing the sector for this age group and is working to increase the talent pool of young people to help encourage the next generation of professionals into FM.

2022 was a year of records for the recruitment industry, with vacancies hitting record highs in the summer and unemployment hitting record lows. The amount of people economically inactive rose too, as people left the workforce due to long term sickness and early retirement. The overall map of employment in the UK showed people moving much more between roles with employment figures maintaining high levels throughout the year, and we expect this to continue through 2023, despite some economic uncertainty.

We are delighted to announce our partnership with the new Yorkshire-based, FM dedicated job board – FM Recruiter. The new site was launched in November, and is the latest edition to the Business Daily Group which include media and recruitment arms covering the Facilities Management and Rail sectors.

Comment from 300 North given to TwinFM for their recent article: Hiring in FM – Looking Beyond University Degrees. To see thoughts from Adam Fahn (Freelance FM and Safety Consultant), Robert Blackler (VP of Sales, Infraspeak), and Angela Hughes (HR Director, Cluttons) visit the TWin FM site.

"68 per cent of the employers surveyed by CIPD said that the skills they have the most difficulty finding in jobseekers are overwhelmingly technical skills. Paul Connolly, CEO of FM recruitment company 300 North, believes the lack of recognition in FM is also worsening the skills gap.

At the start of June, 300 North attended the annual IWFM Conference. This year’s focus was on the theme “Agents of Change”. We were delighted to attend to meet many of our colleagues in person again, and to see the keynotes and guest speakers who promoted the good in the profession and the way organisations in the sector can move to push FM forwards to meet our various goals and targets on sustainability, the future of work, and innovation, amongst other things.

What is Company Branding?

Standing out to candidates is all about ensuring that your company is visible among many others when someone outside of the business or the FM sector is looking for a new role.

The instability of the last year has caused many candidates to stay in their roles or move during the pandemic, causing an industry wide candidate shortage. As things reopen, FM companies are greatly increasing hiring leading to a candidate driven market, where the number of job openings vastly outnumber the available talent. This has meant organisations are having to market themselves in order to be considered by prospective talent. Candidates are looking for many things from their next employer, including a more democratic approach to procurement.

The Invisible Group

International Pride month has just passed. It’s a time when people talk about and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. This June we talked to LGBTQIA+ people about their experiences and did some research into the challenges LGBTQIA+ people face in the workplace, and how FM organisations are creating more safe and diverse spaces for them to thrive at work.