16 July 2020 
Ashley Shelbrooke, HEPA and Project Specialist
Many thanks to Lee and Sinan for their insightful ‘time to talk’ presenting the findings of the CIPS & HAYS procurement salary guide & insights, including an overview of skills for the future.
The slides from the session are available to download here.
The time to talk began by assessing the most in-demand skills from the CIPS & HAYS salary guide & insights survey, which are listed below:
Discussion then moved on to the most in-demand category areas, which in Higher Education tend to sit within the ICT and Estates / Construction categories. Examples were shared of Category Managers embedding themselves within client teams, with the aim of increasing the value that procurement brings to the organisation.
Some top-tips were communicated, especially for teams struggling to attract and retain talent. This includes looking outside the traditional pool of candidates and focusing on softer skills during the selection process. After all, EU procurement can be taught.
The impact of covid-19 was highlighted on the market, with geographical barriers to recruitment expected to be eroded as home working becomes a new normal in many organisations. This brings big advantages to both the employer and the employee in terms of choice and access to in demand skillsets.
