specialists in

​Industry 5.0: Why Employers Must Be Aware of the Human-Centric Shift ​The manufacturing and engineering sectors in the UK are in the midst of a significant transformation. In 2020, as businesses continued to make major operational adjustments to survive the Covid-19 pandemic, the dust settled on Industry 4.0 – defined by automation, smart systems, and digitalisation. A new chapter emerged: Industry 5.0. This evolution isn’t just about technology. It’s about people.For employers, this shift represented both a challenge and a powerful opportunity. Employers must better position themselves to attract top talent, boost innovation, and stay competitive in an increasingly values-driven market. ​From Smart Machines to Smarter Collaboration​Industry 4.0 revolutionised the shop floor. Robots, AI, and data analytics created hyper-efficient, automated environments. But Industry 5.0 changes the narrative: it’s not just about what machines can do – it's about how they work with humans. This phase places humans at the core, blending cutting-edge technologies with uniquely human traits like creativity, empathy, and critical thinking. It’s about enabling people to do more, not replacing them with machines. ​What Does This Mean for Employers? ​1. Rethinking the Role of People in Production Human-machine collaboration will redefine job roles. While some manual tasks may be fading, new roles are emerging that require more technical skills – system thinking, innovation, and interpersonal intelligence. Implication: Employers must look beyond CVs when recruiting. Skills like adaptability, leadership, and problem-solving will be just as important as technical qualifications. ​2. Recruiting for Resilience and Innovation Industry 5.0 demands resilient, agile teams capable of navigating complexity and change. It’s not just about filling vacancies; it’s about finding leaders who can shape and adapt to future-ready strategies. Implication: Executive recruitment needs to assess both hard and soft skills. At ATA Search, our psychometric assessments (powered by Thomas) help uncover the deeper capabilities of candidates, ensuring they align not just with the role, but with the organisation’s future vision. ​3. Wellbeing and Culture Take Centre Stage As technology becomes more integrated, people will crave more meaningful, purpose-driven work. A human-centric industry places wellbeing, inclusivity, and values at the heart of its culture. Implication: Employers must create environments where people thrive. Leadership styles, communication, and emotional intelligence are no longer “nice to have” – they’re critical business tools. ​A New Kind of Leadership is Required ​In this new industrial era, employers need leaders who can: Embrace innovation without losing the human touch. Champion sustainability and long-term thinking. Foster cross-functional collaboration and lifelong learning. Whether you’re hiring a Production Director or a Head of Engineering, the leaders of tomorrow must combine technical excellence with emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and strategic foresight. ​How We Help You Get There ​At ATA Search, we specialise in identifying and attracting executive talent in engineering and manufacturing. Through our deep industry knowledge and proven assessment tools, including psychometric profiling, we help employers build leadership teams that are not only capable of navigating today’s challenges but also shaping the future of Industry 5.0. The future of industry is human. Let us help you find the people who will lead it. Reach out to us today by filling out the form below.​​

Why Employers Should Prioritise AI Training to Aid Workforce Retention & Development​A recent study by Corndel highlights a growing challenge: one-third of UK employees feel unprepared to use AI in their jobs within the next one to three years. Despite the widespread availability of AI training programmes, many employees remain untrained, creating a skills gap that employers must address.​Key Findings:​33% of employees feel unprepared for AI integration at work.97% of HR leaders claim AI training is available, but only 39% of employees report receiving it.54% of businesses lack an official AI strategy, according to Microsoft.Many organisations remain in the "experimentation phase" of AI adoption, with limited full-scale implementation.​What This Means for Employers:​Bridging the AI skills gap is critical – Employees need structured, role-specific training to feel confident using AI tools.Clear AI strategies and training programmes can improve retention – Workers who feel supported in their professional development are more likely to stay.AI education fosters internal career growth – Upskilling employees can help businesses develop talent from within, reducing the need for external hires.Open communication is essential – Encouraging employee feedback on AI implementation ensures better adoption and engagement.Companies that fail to act risk falling behind – AI is rapidly transforming industries, and organisations that do not invest in training may struggle with workforce inefficiencies.​Why Invest in AI Training Now?​Stronger workforce retention – Employees value employers who invest in their development.Increased productivity – Teams equipped with AI knowledge can work more efficiently.Competitive advantage – Businesses that embrace AI training will stay ahead in a fast-changing market.Cost savings – Developing internal talent reduces the need for expensive external recruitment. ​Ensure There Are No Training & Development Gaps in Your WorkforceAI is transforming the workplace, and businesses that fail to prioritise training risk falling behind. Ensuring employees are equipped with the right skills is essential for retention, productivity, and long-term success.At ATA Search, we understand the challenges leaders face in bridging the skills gap. By implementing clear training strategies and fostering a culture of continuous learning, managers can future-proof their teams and drive business growth.Is your workforce prepared for AI integration? Take action now to close skills gaps and invest in structured training programmes that empower your employees. Contact ATA Search to explore strategies that ensure your team is ready for the future.Reach out to us today by filling out the form below.​ ​

​​The RTC Group Awards 2024​On Friday 7th March 2025, we held our annual RTC Group Awards, rewarding those who have gone above and beyond throughout 2024.​Held at our headquarters, the Derby Conference Centre, we gathered for a night of celebration and reflection as we looked back on the past twelve months and all that the group has achieved across the various industries we support.We were joined by employees from each of the group’s offices from across the country and overseas, welcoming the teams from RTC Group Plc, Ganymede Solutions, ATA Recruitment, Global Staffing Solutions and The Derby Conference Centre.​Ganymede and ATA Awards​The evening began with the Ganymede and ATA Awards, where we awarded the top performing individuals across the recruitment businesses as well as those who have personified our core values over the last twelve months.Congratulations to the winners of the Ganymede and ATA Awards:​150k Club: Brad Minns, Karla Delczeg, Natasha Higgins, Michael Anderson, Luke Corr, Mark Hibbert, Sam WalleyPeople are our Passion: Ashton KenneySocially Responsible: Lauren BradfordTop Newcomers: Zac Polnyj & Charlie CorbettTop Team Performance: Energy (1st Place), Rail - Scotland Office(2nd Place), Rail - Kent Office (3rd Place)Delivering Excellence: Brodie KnightSafety First, Safety Always: Victoria RichardsTaking Pride: Lina OprisnykTop 10 Individual Billers:​ Jon Caruso, Andy Crewe (Top Perm Biller), Tyler Cook, Hassan Choudhry, Will Heath, Tom Cleverley, Dave Carter, Colin Earp, Michael Dobson, Katie Townend (Top Contract Biller & Top Overall GP)​Paul Crompton, Managing Director said:  "It was a pleasure to spend the evening with colleagues from across the company. Congratulations to all the award winners on their well-deserved recognition. Your hard work and commitment, both individually and as part of your teams, have been key to our success in 2024, and I look forward to building on these achievements in the year ahead."​The RTC Group Awards​The evening continued with the Group Chairman & CEO address, three course meal and RTC Group Award, presenting for the first year the Douie Award.​​Douie Award: Katie Townend​Thank you to all those who attended this event, and for making the evening a resounding success. The RTC Group Awards will return in 2026.​​​​​​​​

​ATA Recruitment's Annual Maintenance Insights Report 2024 is available to download​​A comprehensive report of average Maintenance Engineering salaries, market trends and candidate behaviour across the UK in 2024, compiled using real ATA Recruitment data.​ATA Recruitment pride ourselves on providing service with real added value, and as part this we like to share our market intelligence and insights with our customers. You may have already seen our permanent insight report for 2024. You can view it here. In addition, we provide a more granular Maintenance survey as it constitutes such a large proportion of what we do.The data we have collected has come from a large cross-section of the market for both SMEs and large blue chips in industries such as Food, Automated Distribution, Construction Materials, FMCG, and General Manufacturing.​Download ATA Recruitment's Annual Regional Maintenance Insights Report 2024​​​By submitting the above form, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy.​Get in touch​​As always, we hope the report provides you with the insight as to where your business currently sits in the market, as well as giving you some guidance on how to construct your talent strategy for 2025. If you have any questions or comments on any of the information covered in the report, please do not hesitate to get in touch.​By submitting the above form, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy.​

​Recruitment and Retention Survey 2024​To keep our clients informed on industry trends, ATA Search conducted an in-depth Employers Survey, leveraging our extensive network to explore the key drivers of recruitment and retention in 2024. The survey provided valuable insights into hiring trends and the outlook for 2025.​​As highlighted in our Business Confidence article, recruitment and retention were identified as significant business challenges, with 23% of respondents pointing to recruitment and 13% highlighting staff retention as key concerns in 2024. As such, we are providing you with a more detailed breakdown of the key elements driving the opportunities and challenges surrounding the demand for talent.​As we approach the second quarter of 2025, recruitment remains high on the agenda, with businesses needing to expand their teams and maintain their hiring plans despite new employment regulations affecting the cost of permanent recruitment. However, our survey highlighted that the upcoming changes have not have as large a negative impact as was expected:​59% of participants stated that National Insurance contributions would not affect their hiring plans in 2025. 66% said that the increase in the National Living/Minimum Wage would not impact their recruitment plans for the upcoming year. ​​​What were your hiring patterns throughout 2024?The survey showed the biggest increase in permanent staff, indicating that employers want to focus on upskilling and investment in permanent employees.​​IncreasedMaintainedDecreasedPermanent Staff41.5%39%19.5%Contract / Interim Staff24.4%41.5%34.1%Executive / Leadership Staff17.1%63.2%19.5%​What roles have been the most challenging to fill throughout 2024? Three main roles emerged as the most challenging to fill: manufacturing and production, maintenance, and leadership.​Manufacturing & Production29%Maintenance27%​Leadership​22%​Unskilled​5%​Controls​5%​Quality & Continuous Improvement​5%​Design & Projects​2%​Technical Sales​2%​Other​2%​What do you think impacted your ability to retain employees in 2024?The results from our survey indicated a score of 2.93 out of 4 regarding participants' ability to retain their employees in 2024. The main drivers of this are highlighted below, with salary demands taking the top spot.​High salary expectations​25%Attracting the right calibre of candidates ​20%Lack of progression / development opportunities​13%Management / Leadership Skills10%Training9%Competition9%Onboarding6%Agile working demands that we are unable to offer6%Other3%​What do you think impacted your ability to attract employees in 2024?​Employers rated 2.59 out of 4 on their ability to attract new employees into the business, with salary expectations once again proving the most difficult demand from potential employees.​​High salary expectations29%Candidate Availability ​18%Competition​17%Fringe benefits10%Agile working demands we are unable to offer9%Lack of progression / development opportunities 5%Industry5%Training4%Other3%​Have you explored any new approaches to your recruitment strategy in order to bridge the current skills gap?​Our survey highlights how employers are focusing on upskilling their workforce to help bridge the gap.​Upskilling existing employees​45%Utilise apprenticeships schemes ​26%No new approach​16%Employ forces leavers5%Sponsor overseas candidates​5%Other3%​What are your hiring intention in 2025?2025 looks set to be a busy year, with a particularly high demand for permanent staff.​​IncreasedMaintainedDecreasedPermanent Staff39%53.7%7.3%Contract / Interim Staff9.8%63.4%26.8%Executive / Leadership Staff17.1%73.2%9.8%​​​What does this mean for businesses?​Upskilling the workforceCompanies are prioritising the development and training of long-term employees, with 45% keen to invest in upskilling their workforce to promote career longevity within their organisations. It is reported that by 2030, around 90% of the UK’s existing workforce will need to upskill to meet evolving requirements. This means that providing a continuously developing workforce puts you ahead of companies that are unwilling to invest in their employees. ​Employing and retaining the right people20% of people interviewed stated that the ability to retain employees in 2024 was due to attracting the right calibre of candidates. A mismatch between the candidate and the job often leads to people leaving roles, resulting in businesses having to deal with staff shortages. To combat this, it’s important to have an in-depth interview and selection process, ensuring the business is right for the candidate and that the job is right for the individual.​If your company needs help finding the right talent, ATA is passionate about recruitment and ensuring candidates are pre-screened, with their abilities and personal characteristics thoroughly assessed. We are committed to minimising the risk of hiring the wrong person for the job.​Get in touch​If you’re interested in the findings of this survey and would like to discuss how these trends could impact your business, we’d love to help. Our expertise in Bridging The Skills Gap ensures you have the right talent in place for a successful year ahead. ​In the coming weeks, we’ll also be releasing our annual Engineering Insights Report, featuring data from all the placements we’ve made throughout 2024. This comprehensive report, combined with feedback from candidates on their employment plans, reinforces our knowledge and expertise and helps you tackle the ongoing challenge of staff retention with confidence. ​To find out more, contact Chris Addison, Director of ATA Search, at 07787 289 367 or christian.addison@ata-search.co.uk, or simply complete the form below.​​

​​​The 8th edition of ATA Recruitment's Annual Engineering Insights is available to download​We are excited to share the 8th edition of ATA Recruitment’s Annual Engineering Insights Report with you. This data has been compiled from the placements we made in 2024, providing a real-time overview of the average salaries offered across the UK.In addition, the report offers detailed market insights and explores the shifts in candidate behaviour that are driving these changes. We have also included salary trends from the past seven years for further context, helping to illustrate how the market has evolved over time.​​Covering the following disciplines, we have answered some of the most common questions we get asked, as well as providing you with the quantitative data from salary trends:​Maintenance & ServiceQuality & ManufacturingDesign & ProjectsMid ManagementExecutiveThis data has been generated from the placements we made in 2023, along with various industry survey findings. We trust this will give you a real time overview of the recruitment landscape and average salaries offered across the UK.​​Download the report​​​Get in touch​​As always, we hope the report provides you with the insight as to where your business currently sits in the market, as well as giving you some guidance on how to construct your talent strategy for 2025. If you have any questions or comments on any of the information covered in the report, please do not hesitate to get in touch.​

​Business Confidence Survey 2024​To keep our clients informed on industry trends, ATA Search tapped into our extensive network with an in-depth Employers Survey. The survey explored the key drivers of business success in 2024 and provided valuable insights into business confidence for 2025.​2024 proved to be a challenging year for the UK economy, growing by just 0.4% over quarters 1–3 (according to ONS data). Despite this growth being below initial projections, it was positive to see that 39% of respondents in our survey reported either strong or very strong growth.​Despite minimal growth being projected for Q4, the pending National Insurance, Minimum and Real Living Wage increases, and the ongoing economic uncertainty, the outlook of those surveyed across UK manufacturing remains positive. With an average confidence rating of 2.88 out of 4 for their outlook in 2025, many participants are hopeful for a stronger year ahead.​39% of those surveyed said they experienced growth or strong growth in 2024.Recruitment (23%) and retention (13%) of staff were key challenges in 2024.51% of those surveyed said they are predicting strong growth in 2025.​What industry best describes the participants field?​General Engineering20%Automotive7%Aerospace​10%Special Purpose Machinery15%Food10%​Construction Materials Manufacturing7%Warehouse Automation5%FMCG10%Process Engineering7%Other10% ​​What levels of growth did businesses experience in 2024? ​Strong/Very Strong​39%No growth​54%Moderately Negative​5%Very Negative2%​What have been the biggest business challenges in 2024? ​Cost Control (energy, material, salaries) 23%Recruitment23%Employee Retention​18%Customer Demand23%Competition 3%Availability of management skills8%Other3%​What are the key drivers impacting confidence levels?​​Demand for our products/services​30%Economic situation ​20% Investment​11%Sector Investment​8%Profitability / Rising Costs​10%Recruitment​6%​Retention of staff​14% ​​What levels of growth are business owners expecting in 2025? ​Very Strong​7%Strong51%No growth​37%Moderately Negative​2.5%Very Negative2.5%​​What does this mean for businesses? ​Managing costs Three primary challenges that hindered businesses growth in 2024 were cost control (including energy, materials, and salaries), recruitment, and customer demand. All these factors are closely linked to financial sustainability. From managing production costs and securing the right talent to meeting market demand, each aspect plays a crucial role in overall business success.​Meeting demand 2025 is shaping up to be a strong year for business, with confidence at a high. Over half (51%) of business owners anticipate a strong year, while an additional 7% expect it to be very strong. This optimism suggests that we are turning a corner, driven primarily by increasing demand for products and services. With 2025 set to be a busy year, success will depend on strategic cost control and securing the right talent to drive growth. Ensuring your team is equipped to capitalise on opportunities will be key to making the most of this positive momentum.​​Get in touch ​If you’re interested in the findings of this survey and would like to discuss how these trends could impact your business, we’d love to help. Our expertise in Bridging The Skills Gap ensures you have the right talent in place for a successful year ahead.​We're looking forward to launching our second employer survey, focusing on recruitment and retention, to provide deeper insights that help you build and maintain a strong workforce.​In the coming weeks, we’ll also be releasing our annual Engineering Insights Report, featuring data from all the placements we’ve made throughout 2024. This comprehensive report, combined with feedback from candidates on their employment plans, reinforces our knowledge and expertise and helps you tackle the ongoing challenge of staff retention with confidence.​To find out more, contact Chris Addison, Director of ATA Search, at 07787 289 367 orchristian.addison@ata-search.co.uk, or simply complete the form below.​