Training is answer to Accounts skills gap

As national research shows that staff throughout the finance sector fear the skills shortage will harm the future of their business, one Essex-based specialist accounting recruitment firm is suggesting that specialised training could be a solution.

ëThere is a serious shortage of skilled candidates in the financial services and accounting sectors,í said Steve Johnson of Jobsinaccounts.com. ëMany candidates were slow to make themselves available as the City recovered from the downturn, leading to an industry shortage and an increase in the market rate for experienced staff.í

Managers are reluctant to employ staff without relevant experience, creating a self-perpetuating skills gap cycle, which can only be broken by introducing and training new personnel, he explained. Employer-sponsored inductive training would supply managers with personnel who could ëhit the ground runningí, thus solving what has been a sporadic problem in the sector for many years.

Mr Johnson launched JobsInAccounts.com last year, as an expansion for AC Financial Recruitment and a follow-up to the successful UnitTrustJobs.com. The service is run to provide the best of both worlds: individual service thatís so often missing these days combined with a 21st century approach to efficiency. The company uses state-of-the-art Internet technology to simplify and speed up the initial advertising and selection process, and then applies the personal touch to ensure that clients and candidates alike know that theyíre being looked after.

ëWe have found over the years that our customers prefer our approach ñ they feel comfortable knowing that we want to look after them and their recruitment needs, rather than dazzle them with flashy sales tactics that promise the world but donít deliver,í said Mr Johnson.

Based in Brentwood, JobsInAccounts.com is led by recruiters who have experience as accountants ñ giving them a thorough understanding of their clientsí needs and the candidates who come forward to fill them.