George Zitko
The skills shortage across the security industry spectrum, specifically in relation to engineers, has been on the agenda for years and there are several initiatives in place to develop the profile of careers in the market. Readers of PSI will be familiar with the work being done to raise the level of apprenticeships in the sector. But what about attracting expertise from outside the field of fire and security and developing existing engineers to widen and strengthen the pool?
It was announced recently that Chubb Fire and Security UK has launched an accelerated development programme, designed to attract and train new industry entrants in partnership with Zitko Talent. The programme will last approximately 18 weeks, starting with alternating blocks of technical training, field experience and manufacturer-led certified product training. Trainees will emerge as certified fire and security engineers, equipped with the knowledge required to work within Chubb’s installation and maintenance teams. Chubb joins a growing list of companies partnering with Zitko on the programme including Mayflex, Lenel S2, 360 Vision, CDVI, Suprema and Eagle Eye Networks.
We caught up with George Zitko to find out more about the Talent scheme and how the requirements of engineers and employers are evolving along with the technology being installed.
What trends are you seeing in the market today?
If you’d have asked me about general security trends twelve months ago, the number one problem for security installers would have been recruiting talent, however that has now been superseded by supply chain concerns. The market is still very competitive and despite the news about the recession, this doesn’t appear to have had any impact on the market; installation companies are short of staff, but high on projects. Therefore, recruitment challenges for employers haven’t gone away and the candidate market remains highly competitive. What has changed are the motivational factors for candidates given the economic and social issues of the last 3 years.
Is it the same picture for all roles in the security and fire sector?
In general, there is a massive shortage of people across the board, although there always has been. When I joined the industry back in 2004, we were talking about a talent shortage even then and unfortunately varying factors have contributed to increasing that problem over the years. At every point in the supply chain – from manufacturing, through sales and technical, to both fire and security disciplines – there are shortages. The market is fierce and it’s competitive. And now, our data shows candidates asking questions based on topics like mental health and well-being, work life balance and commuting. Salary is now a growing issue because of the strains that have been put on people by the cost of living.
Are installers expecting more from prospective employers?
Engineers and project managers are in significantly higher demand than they were a year ago and that naturally causes a change in dynamic. Candidates feel more confident, aware, possibly even more bullish about their situation. A range of new emotions are now all in play. Candidates are meeting employers and expecting a pitch due to the number of opportunities available to them. For an active candidate it’s usually one of four or five suitable employers as a minimum. Candidates are asking better questions around other key topics like training, personal development and progression and expecting more from their interviewers. Most interestingly our data also shows that the interview experience has a direct correlation to the rate of hiring success.
What is Zitko Talent?
From when I joined the industry, it’s been continually evolving. We were moving from digital to IP and the genera IT skills within the industry were short of where they needed to be. Now, amongst other things it’s cloud, virtualisation, cyber and storage and the issue remains. In those days all of the large installation organisations were running really strong apprenticeship programmes, traineeships and YTS schemes creating a continual influx of talent into the industry. Funding for security training for forces personnel also meant an invaluable pipeline of ex-military professionals joining the industry at an adult and skilled stage. Since then, funding cuts and under-use of trainee schemes, added to now by the effects of the pandemic and the increased competition in the market means the picture has just got worse and worse.
I’ve always believed in partnerships and solutions. Zitko as a business has never been about placing the same people in the same jobs with the same companies. So about two and a half years ago, Zitko Group was large enough and had the right personnel within the business, to launch Zitko Talent, which is all about solving the industry’s talent crisis and ultimately placing 20,000 people with transferable skills into fire and security careers.
The industry has a terrible time marketing itself. For example, we call it an industry, not a career. That’s something I want to change. And we need to get the message out to the right people. Some great steps have already been taken – for example I’m a massive advocate of apprenticeships as I believe we need to be bringing young people into the industry. It’s a great way to build engagement, talent, and skills. But Zitko Talent differs from apprenticeships in that it specifically targets re-trainers with life experience and transferable skills, who can become effective within businesses, ideally within three to six months. We’re already seeing Talent candidates on call-out or leading projects within that timeframe.
We’ve re-engaged with the military through the Career Transitions Partnership (CTP) and other ex-forces organisations, and we are actively working with universities, councils, groups and STEM organisations while marketing fire and security careers to professionals in other trades and industries. We then ensure our employers have the framework and structure to support those candidates over their first 12 months as an employee, whether that’s through training, mentorship, guidance or consistent communication. This has so far meant retention rates of over 90%, something we’re incredibly excited about.
There’s someone to thank for all this. I’ll never forget one of my first ever hiring managers was the Service Manager for Kidde Fire in Luton. He identified very quickly that telecommunications engineers trained fantastically well into fire within three months. He never asked me to recruit a fire alarm engineer, he would ask me to recruit in the fibre and telco sector and identify people that were excited by fire systems and life safety. We ended up recruiting over 30 people for him in a year when other installers were struggling to find anyone. That taught me the value of transferable skills and that’s what I’ve championed throughout my career.
Read the full interview in the September 2022 edition of PSI magazine
