Monday Interview: Carol White, UK director of recruitment at WSP

Carol White has worked for engineering professional services firm WSP for around ten years and is responsible for the firm’s UK recruitment. The company employs about 7,500 people across the UK, with around 360 based in Leeds.

White is based in the Leeds office and commutes from York; but originally her own job was advertised as being located elsewhere in the UK. However, she wanted to work and live in Yorkshire and so asked that she be based in the county; after all, she feels, it’s important to get the right candidate for the job without being restricted to a set location. This philosophy is something that she has maintained in her role heading up recruitment for WSP.

“Talent really doesn’t have to always sit down in London. When we are looking for talent, we are not necessarily committed to a certain location. For those in the support service departments, it’s almost a given that they can be based in different locations but everyone with access to technology now could have a base remotely. It’s about getting the right candidate,” said White.

“London is still very important to our company but Yorkshire and Leeds are great to do business in – it’s an ideal location.”

Competition for the right candidate is becoming an ever bigger challenge, with the “war for talent” ever present for White and her team who are  trying to compete with an increasing number of companies searching for similar skill sets; especially in Leeds, where larger firms are moving into the region. Yet, White sees this competition as a positive, as it shows that the region is thriving and a place companies and their staff want to locate and add to the economy.

White added that the firm is continuing to grow and invest and described WSP in Leeds as a “hidden gem.” She added: “This business is growing and so we need the support services to grow with it to keep in step. We have to work really hard to compete with the major brands in Leeds because WSP isn’t always one that trips off the tongue.

“As a firm, we went into growth mode in 2012 and we are very acquisitive. We directly source talent as much as we can; it’s always been about attracting and retaining the right people and so we spilt our recruitment into specialisms.”

Locally, the firm is working on several projects currently, including the Tower Works scheme in Holbeck Urban Village in Leeds, leading on a study that will define the business case for a Sheffield City Region’s ‘Innovation Corridor’ and Halifax Station Gateway.

On a national scale, WSP has worked on major projects including transport planning for the London Olympics and the development of The Shard.

“We have a range of really good projects nationally and worldwide, so people can continue to develop their skills within a dynamic working environment. This means that people are passionate about what they do here and so retention is really good,” said White.

“When we are bringing new talent into the business, it’s not just about whether they are good for the business but also the culture of the business. We are not status conscious here and people thrive off that working environment.”

White said collaboration across service functions was key to running a successful multi-site business across all of its departments, which include structural engineering, regulated business, environmental and commercial.

WSP take on around 200 graduates and 70 apprentices a year and is always looking at external factors that can impact on recruitment including diversity in the workplace, social mobility and apprenticeship levies.

On average, the company receives around 3,000 applications for places on its graduate programme and they have been working with schools around inspiring the next generation into the workplace.

White added: “While we don’t find a general skills gap because we are investing in these areas, there is a tech skills gap in terms of very few females coming into the engineering world. So we are talking about the engineering sector as a career so that younger generations could choose STEM subjects if they want to go into such a career.  There is a schools engagement programme managed by us, so we go and talk to parents and school groups about engineering as a career.

“There is a lag period but we are starting to see some decent results. We have now got an above average proportion of female applicants to our graduate schemes.

“We are in a male led sector. There are pre-conceptions that it is going to be a tough workplace but we are quite a polite organisation. We have got to show diversity from the top down and we have a male/female dynamic at executive level which works really well and addresses the balance.”

 

 

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