Companies increasingly rely on expertiese of recruitment agencies'

The shortage of skills remains one of the biggest challenges facing the industry in the Western Cape – much like the rest of the country. According to Lee Botti, managing director of national recruitment agency Lee Botti & Associates, clients have trimmed down staff counts and are therefore increasingly looking for skilled staff. “And finding qualified staff with stable, clean track records is a challenge.” She says another concern is the tendency of some candidates to jump from one employer to the next, not realising what a negative impact this has on their careers. Morne Schuin, the company’s Cape Town branch manager, said with companies under pressure to find staff they were relying heavily on the expertise of recruitment agencies. “They want to use companies that interview, reference check and run credit and criminal checks on potential employees.” He said comparing the job assignments that were given to the company from January 2014 to mid March 2014, the number of assignments had increased 34.4% over the same period this year. But it's not all about staff recruitment at Lee Botti & Associates. The company is continuing to invest in its Ithuba Project which has seen more than 3000 matriculants from disadvantaged backgrounds trained. “Through this programme we help them to identify opportunities and apply for positions. The scope of the programme ranges from help with the drawing up of CVs, to grooming for interviews and conducting themselves at interviews,” said Botti. “Sadly there are few learnership opportunities for these young people at present.” INSERT & CAPTION They want to use companies that interview, reference check and run credit and criminal checks on potential employees. – Morne Schuin