Interviewee: Simon Weston
Employer: Brunel
Location: Manchester, UK
Job Title: Recruiter – Renewables
How long have you been recruiting in the renewables sector?
I have been recruiting in the renewables sector for close to four years now, concentrating on solar mainly, with some wind renewables work as well.
What is it about the renewables sector that interests/motivates you?
It is a massive job market, it is a natural source of energy, and it’s a growing market employing over four million people across the UK and Europe with an expectancy towards record-breaking growth in the future.
What are the typical types of profiles clients ask for and what types of companies do you recruit for?
Clients generally ask me for operations and maintenance staff, field engineers for their solar plants and I generally work with utility companies, EPC’S and operating companies.
What do you foresee as the biggest challenges when recruiting within the renewables sector?
There are massive skill shortages across all sectors including engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering and I tend to find other candidates from other sectors such as oil and gas and civil engineering.
Are there specific skill scarcities within renewables? If so, what are these?
I find myself that there is a lot skill shortage’s for wind turbine technicians, both offshore and onshore, good quality candidates. Also construction managers for onshore wind farms and offshore wind farms. It is quite difficult to identify high quality candidates with the right skills to fill those kinds of positions.
Are there many transferable skills from other industries? If so, which industries?
I am finding that there are a lot of transferable skills from the oil and gas sector, mainly in automation, controls, instrumentation and monitoring sectors.
Do you find candidates from other industries are positive about opportunities in the renewables sector?
Yes, without doubt. The renewables sector is seen as a growing market with many opportunities and lots of transferable skills which are useful within the renewables sector.
Brunel has had a lot of success to date servicing clients in the renewables sector with high quality candidates. Can you explain why this is?
Yes, Brunel has a trusted name within the offshore industry across Europe and globally, so clients were already familiar with our brand, our level of service and success. Our reputation for providing high quality candidates and manpower services has served us well and has enabled us to start most relationships with a good foundation of trust and expectancy.
The same can be said of candidates. Brunel is not a new name and those with transferable skills recognized that Brunel are well positioned to represent them.