New partnership deal will help manufacturers recruit staff and tackle skills shortages

EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation

EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, has signed a partnership deal with specialist recruiter, Jonathan Lee Recruitment, to boost support for manufacturers looking to recruit skilled staff and tackle skills shortages.

The move means that Jonathan Lee Recruitment will now become an EEF Advantages partner – a group of third party providers carefully selected by EEF to help its members save money and grow their businesses.

The recruiter has over 37 years’ experience of manufacturing and engineering recruitment, with the majority of its consultants coming from engineering backgrounds, including manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, defence and electronics. It will be able to help EEF members in recruiting permanent and contract staff, as well as with interim management and executive search. EEF members will also enjoy a discount on its services.

The company is coming on board at a critical time for UK manufacturing. EEF research shows that finding and recruiting employees with the right skills is a key business concern for three quarters (74%) of manufacturers. Over eight in ten manufacturing firms (84%) experienced recruitment problems last year – 54% had trouble recruiting skilled trades and technical staff, while 37% struggled to secure professionals, such as chartered engineers.

Steve Warren, North West Region Director at EEF, says: “Our role is to support UK manufacturers and to ensure they have what they need to thrive and grow. Having a plan in place to get the right people, in the right jobs at the right time is critical if companies are to achieve sustainable growth.

“With this in mind, we are delighted to be adding Jonathan Lee Recruitment to our stable of Advantages partners. It is a great fit with specialist knowledge and experience that will make a real difference to our members struggling to attract the skills their business needs.”

Jonathan Lee, Chairman at Jonathan Lee Recruitment, says: “We are proud to continue to use our unrivalled market knowledge and access to a broad base of manufacturing and engineering talent to provide the specialist recruitment support required to drive UK manufacturing growth.

“We pride ourselves on the fact that many of our consultants have worked within industry and possess an in-depth understanding of the skills, experience and attributes required by companies in the manufacturing and engineering sector. We look forward to working in close partnership with EEF to help its members meet the skills challenges they face both today and in the future.”

EEF has been running its Advantages programme since 2007. The programme spans employee benefits, energy services, insurance, research and development tax credits and recruitment process outsourcing.

Companies interested in finding out more about EEF membership and the Advantages scheme can visit here: http://www.eef.org.uk/membership or call 0808 168 5874.