Industry Consultation / Who

Small employers, who are most of the labour market

And who almost never appear in a consultation record.

Advisory arrangements skew heavily toward larger organisations, which have people whose role includes external engagement and can release them for a meeting. Small employers, who collectively employ far more people in most sectors, have nobody who can spend a morning at a provider's premises.

Their absence matters because their requirements differ. A small operation needs a graduate who can do several things adequately from the first week; a large one can absorb a specialist who needs six months of development. A curriculum shaped entirely by large employers produces graduates poorly matched to most of the actual jobs.

Reaching them requires going to them and taking very little time: fifteen minutes at their premises, at a time they choose, with three questions. That is a different activity from a committee and it is the only version most of them can participate in.

It is also the version that produces the most concrete answers, because the person being asked is usually the owner, who does the hiring, the supervising and frequently the work itself.

It is worth noting that small employers frequently want something from the relationship too, and it is rarely a committee seat. Access to a student for a project, help finding a candidate, or a short piece of training for existing staff are all things a provider can offer cheaply, and they convert a request for input into an exchange.