With organisations finding it more difficult to attract good candidates and increased competition for well-qualified talent it is now more important than ever to look after our employees.

According to the latest figures from the British Business Bank, the true first-year cost of hiring an employee on the average UK salary (£27,600) is approximately £63,000, factoring in recruitment, NI, pensions, training, equipment, and other expenses. 

Attracting and retaining talent is becoming more challenging, making employee care and engagement more critical than ever.

That’s why we have a team of Workforce Development Specialists to support organisations in Greater Manchester. 

Here we talk to Jane Taylor Senior Business Advisor Workforce Development about the wide range of support and training we have available for businesses

What does your Organisation Development Team do? 

My team helps organisations align their workforce strategy with business goals by identifying skills gaps and providing the necessary training to ensure employees stay relevant and contribute to the long-term success of organisations, in ever competitive markets. 

How do you support Greater Manchester’s organisations and their employees? 

For organisations with a trading address in Greater Manchester, we provide tailored one-to-one support - either in person or virtually - including workforce policy and procedure reviews, independent feedback, provide useful resources and templates, deliver in-house workshops, and give access to external workshops and webinars. 

Our Organisation Development specialists are assigned to each Local Authority Area in Greater Manchester, so they are embedded in local activity and collaborating with local Councils to understand area-specific priorities.

What’s hot right now? What’s trending in Greater Manchester? 

• Employment Rights Bill - There’s a stronger focus on the upcoming implementation of the new Employment Rights Bill. With many of the provisions expected to come into force in 2026, we’ve seen a shift in the demand for organisations keen to ensure they know what’s involved, are aware of the timescales and how they can put them into action 
• Skills Development Service – Earlier this year, the GMCA commissioned a further £2.8m into training investment for English, Maths, Digital and ESOL training. Fundamentally, this is the ability to improve Communication, Number Application, and Digital skills, so there’s been a huge increase in demand for the over 65 free training courses now available.
• T-Levels – The latest recruitment campaign has seen a growing number of Greater Manchester organisations are utilising T Level placements to bring in young people to support with projects, with the intention of creating future employment and Apprenticeships.

What’s your biggest tip?  

Apply yourself! Allocate just 5 minutes of your time to make sure your business is aware and accessing the fully funded support and training that you’re entitled to. We’re aware that people are busy, but our support can really make a difference, and we can improve or complement what you already have in place.  

Whether it’s a call to us, completion of a contact form or visiting GM Skills Map – it will be worth your time - our success stories page will confirm this  

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