Tag: Industry News

We are excited to announce our First Nations Project Partnership with indigenous IT professional services group Yirigaa. The First Nations project is a collaborative partnership aimed at raising awareness for indigenous culture, upskilling indigenous talent with critical IT skills, and improving their employment opportunities and outcomes in Australia’s technology sector. Yirigaa is an aboriginal-majority-owned and managed information technology and cyber professional services company. They familiarise organisations with the importance of indigenous culture and kindship, and create learning, internship, and employment pathway opportunities for indigenous, diverse and under-represented groups in Australia’s IT industry. Like Ignite, Yirigaa is an Australian Defence Industry Security Program (DISP) provider, allowing them to sponsor candidates for Australian Government security clearances in technology. They also train and certify talent with industry recognised credentials through their Cyber Security Training Academy. Ignite is a diversified talent business that specialises in IT recruitment, managed services and career training. Our commitment to diversity & inclusion, particularly for indigenous Australians, is something we are very passionate about. In 2018, we were the first non-indigenous recruitment agency to have an endorsed Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). We also developed an indigenous recruitment strategy that helped first nation talent access more roles within Australia’s Federal Government. The First Nations Project Partnership will see Ignite and Yirigaa become First Nations Reconciliation Cultural and Kindship partners.  Yirigaa will be Ignite’s First Nations digital technology, training academy, managed services and SECOPS partner. Ignite will leverage its strong public and private client relationships to raise awareness of indigenous culture and deliver improved employment opportunities and outcomes for Yirigaa’s network of indigenous technology talent. Ignite and Yirigaa are both passionate advocates for educating and employing Australia’s first People to fill the rising skills and resources gaps in Australia. Together, we will help build self-sustaining and culturally aware inclusive industry workplaces and improve employment outcomes for indigenous talent in Australia’s rapidly growing technology industry.

We are delighted to welcome Michael Megally as Director of IT Consulting at Ignite. Michael will lead the IT consulting arm of our Technology and Talent Solutions team, which uses cost efficient and vetted technology squads to drive technological solutions for business problems as-a-service. Michael has worked in the technology industry for over 20 years and is a highly experienced delivery and transformation executive. He has assisted a wide range of multinational enterprise organisations on their IT transformation journeys. Michael has strong capabilities in program management, IT operations, service delivery, customer onboarding, product management, negotiating complex outsourcing deals and business transformation. All of which will be essential to our technology-as-a-service offerings. Michael is also an entrepreneur who has setup and run multiple businesses. He knows how to develop companies from inception to profitability with strong governance, innovation, and digitisation principles. He is also involved in several not-for-profit organisations and is passionate about helping neurodiverse people have meaningful careers and creating opportunities for indigenous Australians in technology. Michael said “my role at Ignite is to lead the IT consulting arm of the business, powered by team Ignite to provide innovative solutions to business problems. Project by project, Ignite has curated the best talent, skills, expertise, and availability to deliver direct access to world-class vetted technology squads to deliver solutions for clients on-time and on-budget”. We are delighted to have Michael on-board who brings advanced knowledge and technology expertise that will help our Technology and Talent Solutions team thrive.

The shape your hiring strategy takes will often rest upon one important question: should I hire permanent employees, or should I use contractors? Both workers have their place, and both may be relevant for your business in certain roles and at certain times. Understanding which is the best fit for your organisation, or a specific role within it, is a matter of weighing the pros against the cons. Let’s compare these employment types and see if we can gain a bit of clarity on which will work best for you.  Contractors The popularity of contractors has increased sharply in recent years. The emergence of the gig workforce, demand for niche skill sets and rising talent shortages have transformed what was once a fringe group of ultra-specialised workers into a genuine core hiring option. More people than ever are leaving their jobs to become their own boss, with almost a third of Australians now preferring freelance work to being an employee. With so many contractors now available, the question has turned from ‘can I employ a contractor?’ to ‘should I employ a contractor?’ The pros Cost savings: While often commanding a higher hourly rate, contractors allow you to only ever pay for what you need when you actually need it. They aren’t entitled to a number of employee benefits such as holidays, leave loading, super, payroll tax and office equipment which all cost organisations additional money. They also require less onboarding, less training and less management than permanent employees which makes them attractive from a cost saving perspective. More flexibility: Contractors enable organisations to be agile in their recruitment. They can cover a short-term labour gap (e.g. maternity leave), they can grant access to a unique skill set (e.g. cyber-security specialist) unavailable internally and they can be onboarded and removed quickly. Particularly in recent times, flexibility has been crucial for organisations to stay afloat increasing the demand for contractors. Less management: Experienced contractors require less management than permanent employees. In most cases, a quick role briefing and project deadline is all they need to get the job done. Hiring top contractors avoids the HR headache of permanent employees allowing you more time to focus on other demands of your business. The cons Less loyalty: Contractors could be described as mercenaries of the working world. They can work for many businesses simultaneously and tend to report to the highest bidder. This means there’s no guarantee that you’ll be their number one priority, nor that they will be as invested and engaged to perform at the same level as a more accountable permanent employee might.  Less authority and control: Sure, you can set guidelines, requirements and deadlines to try and manage your contractors. However, because they are more autonomous, and can work independently using their own tools, systems and resources, inevitably you will have less control. As employers grow increasingly concerned with such things as cyber-security and competition, retaining this control is a detractor for hiring contractors.  Permanent employees Traditionally, jobseekers have preferred permanent work, buoyed by the sense of belonging and stability such employment provides. However, taking on full-time or part-time employees is a big commitment and responsibility for organisations, who are required to support this person professionally and financially throughout their tenure. This makes the decision whether to hire permanent employees or not critical. Let's look at the pros and cons.  The pros More stability: By hiring full-time employees you’re able to build a strong and loyal team that works well together. You can mould them into your preferred shape, and ensure that they are invested and engaged to ensure business success. Conversely, an over reliance on contractors can be disruptive to team cohesion which can impact performance. More control: Hiring permanent employees grants you greater control over your organisation. Everything is kept in-house, making it easier to lead staff, manage workloads and keep private information secure. Permanent employees tend to be more invested and focused on organisational objectives whereas contractors can have divided loyalties.                                                                                                                                                          More organisational knowledge: Over time a permanent employee will build up a deep well of knowledge about your business and its stakeholders. This knowledge becomes invaluable over time and helps businesses run efficiently, effectively and smoothly. Contractors often aren’t within organisations long enough to grasp such knowledge, and if by chance they are, they are likely to take this confidential knowledge elsewhere.  The cons A significant investment: Hiring, onboarding, training and retaining permanent staff are costly exercises. Add in paying salaries, taxes, insurances, office costs, ongoing mentoring, professional development and performance review programs and you're looking at a big bill. In an ideal world, these costs are an investment and will be paid back with interest, but it’s not guaranteed. If a permanent employee leaves, that’s a lot of sunk costs. Hiring the wrong person: Permanently hiring a bad fit for your business is costly. Bad people decisions can impact culture, engagement, performance and productivity, which all cost time, money and resources. Once a permanent employee passes probation, removing them can be challenging (and expensive if done incorrectly). In these situations, you are forced to restart the recruitment process from square one.  Contract or permanent employee? As with so many questions in business, there’s no right or wrong answer here. Both have pros and cons, and the answer lies in truly understanding your business and its needs. Do you want flexibility or stability? Do you need a quick fix or a long-term solution? Grasping these needs will (hopefully) make your decision far clearer.  Whatever you decide, the Ignite team can assist providing both permanent and contract recruitment services. 

If you're tossing up whether or not you should use a recruitment agency to hire a new employee, we’re here to set the record straight. Below are five major reasons not to use a recruiter. We should know. We are recruiters! You want to utilise the network closest to you  Recruiting someone within your network means you can trust candidates and you know for sure they’re legitimate. They may not have the exact soft or hard skills you’re after, but they probably live in your area so you’ll be able to rideshare with them home. If your dad or sister can’t take the role, your childhood neighbour will no doubt do a fantastic job. Just remember that you won’t ever be able to fire them because your mum will never forgive you. Why would you use a recruitment agency with thousands of vetted candidates on their database when your neighbour’s hairdresser’s dog sitter is available to start immediately?! You love learning irrelevant facts about random people  What are you up to this weekend? Heading to a bar with friends? Quality time with the family? Well, you can put a big fat line through those ideas if you’re DIY recruiting. You’ll be spending the weekend reading the CVs of candidates who are not at all qualified and are very eager to tell you fun facts about themselves that have nothing to do with the job you posted. The good thing about the internet is that you have access to everybody. The bad thing about the internet is that you have access to everybody. And everybody will be applying for your job ad, whether they have the requisite skills or their only evident skill is ambition.  You’re after some peace and quiet    If you’re recruiting for a niche role, especially if there’s a skill shortage in that area, chances are the aforementioned situation won’t be relevant to you. Sought after candidates are much less likely to apply for jobs via platforms like Seek. Knowing they’re in demand, they often sit tight knowing a recruitment agency will find their dream job for them. This means your social media callout for candidates might very well be met with the online equivalent of crickets and tumbleweeds, as you scream desperately into the void. Fun!  You love to live on the edge  Don’t have time for spin class? No biggy. If you hire an unvetted candidate your heart rate will remain above 100 bpm while you try to ensure this new stranger in your building doesn't run your company into the ground.  Statistics show 85% of candidates lie on their CV. Good recruiters run their candidates through a range of tests to make sure they are who they say they are. They test for high-level technical skills and soft skills, as well as checking such things as their police records, social media accounts and, say, if they have a history of embezzling money from their employers. And where’s the excitement in that?!  You get your pick of unemployed candidates  The thing about DIY recruiting is that you get access to all of the unemployed candidates who are desperately looking for work. That’s great, right? It is. Except, well, many of the very best candidates are working in organisations they don’t love so they can pay the mortgage until the job they do love comes along. The good news is you’re helping one candidate pay the mortgage. Although, you can't entirely be sure they’re not just using you until their dream job comes along. But the other good news it that there are plenty more candidates with mortgages to choose from when the one you just recruited abruptly leaves you!  So, should I use a recruiter?   If you like your weekends, dislike great amounts of stress and hate upsetting your mum, then, well, in that case, you should just ignore this blog entirely and find yourself a great recruiter! 

Ladies, did you know there are loads of high-paying job opportunities in one of Australia’s largest industries? With an average salary of  $109,325, it is one of the highest paying industries in the country. In fact, the industry is experiencing such rapid growth and simultaneous attrition companies are desperate for skilled employees. The cherry on top: research has proven that women are just as competent as men when it comes to the skills required to excel in this industry. Sounds pretty promising, right? Well, it should. But, alas, with only 12% of the workforce being female (down from 17% in 2006), the industry in questions, construction, is also the most male-dominated industry in Australia. But construction is facing a range of debilitating issues: the skills shortage is hampering industry growth and record rates of mental health issues are costing companies millions. The good news: female construction workers are the answer! If discrimination didn't exist and women had the same unimpeded access to the construction industry as men, the available skilled candidate pool would instantly double. While the major conditions at the root of the poor mental health epidemic are the exact same factors that are stymieing women’s progress. In fact, surveys have revealed that men are just as eager as women to see the changes that would facilitate gender equality. Thankfully, there are now many programs available to help women progress. Throughout this article I will chat to the experts and provide tips for women in construction and those interested in pursuing a building career. I will also outline some of the reasons behind the state of gender inequality along with ways we can work together to ensure the number of female construction workers starts to grow. The more females there are in the building industry, the quicker the changes will occur which will, in turn, encourage other women to follow suit. It is time to set the new standards for coming generations and you, brave ladies, are the ones to do it. You are tomorrow’s leaders. So, our intrepid heroes, strap yourself in and chuck on a hard hat as we work towards “constructing” a better future. A future paved with fairness, respect and buckets of money for everyone. Why Female Construction Workers Are Scarce Hint: It’s Probably Not What You Think Louisa Hou is a single mum who has always wanted to work in the building industry. So she uses her initiative and visits the construction sites in her area to hand out her CV and see if they have any work available. She is a CrossFit enthusiast and she knows the physical labour wouldn’t be an issue, yet she faces discrimination. Louisa speaks to one builder who needs workers. “You do realise this is hard work, don’t you love?” he asks. She nods. "Of course I do. That's why I'm here." He notices the mention of CrossFit on her resume and, after some persistence on her part, he suggests she work for him over the weekend. Although he is in desperate need of employees, it is only after she has proven she is physically capable that he offers her more work. There is little flexibility in the industry and although she is thrilled to be employed and she loves her job, she finds the juggling of single parenthood and work a constant struggle. She also knows her boss wants her to work longer hours even though that’s impossible for her. She can see why there are so few female construction workers. Her perseverance pays off. Louisa, now a highly skilled cabinet maker, was awarded the Trade Woman of the Year through NAWIC in 2018. “I love doing the work I do and I can say with confidence that there is no limitation doing this work as a woman.” She says, adding, “But that doesn’t mean men don’t constantly question you!” Debunking the Myth That Women Aren’t Strong Enough At 3%, female construction workers are majorly underrepresented when it comes to trades in Australia. Many people wrongly assume the reason this percentage is so low is due to the physical nature of trades. However, according to a recent women in construction report, though the industry is no doubt physically demanding, the tools and technologies used these days mean “very few construction jobs, if any, require a level of physical ability outside the reach of most women in the labour force”. And equipment advances will soon make physical consideration a thing of the past. Career Paths for Female Construction Workers There are, obviously, plenty of other pathways for female construction workers besides trades. Interestingly, a recent study compared the competency of male and female project managers in construction. The two genders didn’t differ in terms of managerial behaviours, but women performed better in sensitivity, customer focus and authority and presence. Yet, according to a report by University of NSW, woman’s capabilities were often singled out as a reason for their lack of progression in all areas of construction. The report noted that women needed to be better (not equal) with men. Female construction workers were expected to perform more than their role required to even be considered for a promotion or career progression. “A third of the candidates I placed in a construction role this year were women,” says Lauren Cullen, Ignite account manager and chair of professional development and marketing at NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction). “Obviously women aren’t perfect,” she explains. “But from my experience, the women I’ve hired and interviewed have learnt to work smarter rather than harder. They have to, because they’re often juggling many commitments and they have to prove themselves more.” When you consider how hard women work and the persistent discrimination they continue to face despite this, it’s no wonder they are 39% more likely than men to drop out of a career in construction. Gone are the days when women could justifiably be excluded from trades for physical reasons. Yet, sadly, this outdated way of thinking remains. For gender equality to be achieved, this new information needs to become common knowledge. Some major reasons women are underrepresented in construction include: Sexism in the workplace Discrimination Recruiting for cultural fit, where the culture is gendered and exclusionary Equipment, tools and areas are not suited to women Presenteeism Lack of flexibility Strategic alliances between men in positions of power increases the likelihood they’ll be promoted, leaving women frustrated as to why they are not being rewarded for their hard work. It would require a major industry overhaul for the above conditions to be eliminated. Thankfully businesses are beginning to realise that it is no longer viable to stay in the dark ages. Not only must all of the above factors be eradicated for companies to thrive, but everybody – companies, women and men - would benefit from those changes. That’s what I’d call a no brainer. Presenteeism and Depression - An Industry in Crisis Poor mental health is prevalent in the construction industry, according to a recent report by the University of NSW. Much of these issues are caused by unspoken masculine norms where long hours are worked, presenteeism is prioritised and, consequently, work-life balance is neglected. These norms are also the reason why few women have such difficulty progressing in the industry. A study from Comcare showed healthy employees are almost three times more effective than less healthy employees. Healthy employees have far fewer absences, they rate their work performance as higher and compensation cases are far lower. Research also found a direct correlation between poor health and presenteeism. So, improving employee satisfaction and overall mental health by increasing flexibility and stamping out presenteeism would increase gender equality, encourage men to thrive in their career and make companies more money. In other words, it’s a win win. How Companies Benefit from Gender Equality “Skills shortage, staff turnover and high attrition are easily some of the biggest challenges leaders in the construction industry are experiencing today,” says Sarah Biggs, an Ignite recruitment consultant with over seven years of experience working in construction with the likes of Rio Tinto and Calibre. “With gender equality the talent pool could address the skills shortage,” explains Sarah. “Therefore, staff turnover and attrition would be reduced. If there were more women, the industry’s reputation would improve meaning there would be a spike in candidates interested in it as a career path.” While we’re on the topic of reputation, since the #metoo movement women are no longer willing to suffer in silence as a culture of transparency and accountability proliferates. Although overt sexism is still present in the industry, women can take comfort in the fact that this will eventually become a thing of the past. If a woman speaks out, the chance of a PR disaster is high, the cost to a company, detrimental. Companies simply cannot afford to not stamp out sexist behaviour in the current climate. Sarah adds, “More women in senior roles in construction provides a broader range of perspectives that represent the demographic of stakeholders. They would also become role models for other women, which is vital.” She places a hand on her stomach and adds, “I’m about to have my second child. A girl. It’s so important to me that, growing up, she has the exact same opportunities as my son.” How to Become a Female Construction Worker “If it’s what you dream of doing and your calling is to work alongside men as an equal, do it!” says Louisa, our award-winning cabinet maker, when asked what advice she’d offer other women hoping to get into construction. “You have to be confident. Don’t let anyone question your abilities just because you’re a woman. Don’t listen to them. Be persistent, so you can prove to others and yourself that you are capable of doing the job you're meant to be doing."    Pursuing a Career in Construction   So now you know that there’s nothing physically stopping you from achieving a lucrative and fulfilling career in construction, where do you go from here? Female construction workers come in all titles. Some careers require a university degree, but many do not. “There are so many courses out there and you don't necessarily have to do a trade or go to Uni,” explains Lauren. “For example, contract administrators can make between 60 and 150 thousand dollars a year. Yet, the required courses costs less than two thousand dollars. You could start a cadetship. Then you could do another course and become a project manager. If you’re a mum you could study two nights a week till you’re ready to get back to work.”   “In my experience there are plenty of roles that are always struggling to find good quality candidates. Safety managers, for example, and estimators are so hard to come by.  A good estimator can earn between 140k and 170k per year. You don't need a degree. You just have to work your way up. But women should know that the lucrative, fulfilling opportunities are within reach and it is certainly worth persevering.” If this interests you, you should chat to your local recruitment agent or find out more about the programs offered through one of the organisations mentioned below. Programs and Initiatives There are a range of programs available to help women in the industry. NAWIC  hosts events, presents awards and assists women through networking and industry awareness. There is a NAWIC chapter in every state in Australia, offering scholarships and workshops nationwide. They manage such exciting programs as the CEO shadow program, success series and more. I’d highly recommend getting in touch with the chapter in your state to find out more. Master Builder Australia provide Women Building Australia, which supports women through mentorships, job-seeking assistance and ambassadors. There are various state and federal government initiatives being developed to assist women finding work in male-dominated industries, such as Towards 2025. So it’s worth visiting your local government site online, keeping an eye out for opportunities and reaching out to them. Let’s Build a Better Future The Australian Gender Equality Council (AGEC) recently released a promotion in which they provided the following statistics: Women retire with 42 % less superannuation than men One in two women are discriminated against at work for being mothers One in five women experience sexual violence after the age of 15 Women earn 23% less than men. It doesn’t get much starker than that. Things must change. 100 years ago women fought for the right to vote. We still have so very far to go. In conclusion, you don’t need an engineering degree to deduce that it’s in everybody’s best interest to increase gender equality in construction. The economy, the industry, individual businesses, men, women and those tiny humans that make up the next generation will all benefit significantly from such a shift. Now that’s what I call a win, win, win, win, win, win. Author: Cassie Lane Copywriter / Content Strategist at Ignite  [activecampaign form=5] Or are you looking to source employees? Click here to contact us today. [activecampaign form=12]