Issues around attracting and retaining talent in Kirklees have been highlighted in a recent round table hosted by the Sir George Buckley Leadership Centre and the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre and attended by HR representatives from the Kirklees Top 100 Companies.
The round table discussion took place virtually on 8 June and was attended by 18 HR experts from Kirklees Top 100 Companies.
The Kirklees Top 100 Companies is a joint venture between University of Huddersfield, Kirklees Council, The Huddersfield Examiner, and the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC) which launched at the end of last year. The initiative has been designed to help raise the profile of Kirklees’ businesses and the district as an attractive destination for inward investment, business start-ups, scale-up and growth.
The session was chaired by Lauren Wallman, Learning & Development Manager at Thornton & Ross, one of the Top Ten companies in the Kirklees Top 100. Others taking part in the discussion included representatives from Huddersfield Business School, Sir George Buckley Leadership Centre and Kirklees Council.
The purpose of the round table was to build informal bonds between HR professionals in Kirklees and exchange ideas, intelligence, and expertise for tackling common talent issues. The topic was flagged by a business sounding group as a key challenge for local organisations. Issues discussed included:
- identifying and tackling barriers to attracting talent in Kirklees
- generational issues in recruiting talent in the face of the pull of the bigger cities
- in-house talent development
- ideas for potential co-operation in promoting career opportunities in the area
Sue Alderson, Programme Director of the Sir George Buckley Leadership Centre, said: “Being able to attract and retain talent is a key issue for many businesses. Times are changing which has meant nurturing your workforce and creating an environment that is attractive to new talent has never been as important. There is now a bigger emphasis around working flexibly and mental health and wellbeing, as well as the overall reputation of an organisation.
“Although businesses in Kirklees are often at advantage sandwiched between Manchester and Leeds, it can also hinder recruiting younger talent who tend to look to for city-based organisations that are perceived as having better opportunities. This round table has been about how we tackle these issues and promote Kirklees as an innovative and attractive place to work.”
For more information about the Kirklees Top 100 Companies go to Twitter or LinkedIn.