Driving Inclusion: Why Skills-Based Hiring is Essential for the Future of Bus Operators

Last week I attended the ALBUM conference which was hosted by Warrington’s Own Buses. I spoke about making recruitment work as an integral part of your diversity and inclusion strategy.

When I set up Camilleri Appointments in 2019, I never dreamt that I would successfully compete with a wide range of leading head-hunters, nor that I would support a wide range of Transport operators with key senior hires. That aside, to get invited to present about a subject I feel so deeply passionate about was a real privilege. I embraced this opportunity with gusto as I knew that even though my message may be tough to take on board in parts, it was my chance to use the wealth of knowledge and insight that I have gleaned over the years to reinforce the importance for bus operators, especially smaller ones, to base their hiring decisions on the skills a candidate can demonstrate at interview, rather than the sector knowledge and time served in the industry. I also felt it was my opportunity to give back to the Bus sector, a sector I have extensively supported and feel incredibly passionate about.

I illustrated the importance of skills-based hiring through the use of two real case studies (names changed for obvious reasons) which I used to demonstrate how vital it is to deliver recruitment in an inclusive way. I talked about Jeremy Smith an aviation candidate who kept being rejected for his lack of Rail and Bus sector knowledge. I also talked about Jenny Morris, who was screened out due to a long and overly complicated recruitment process. The numerous hurdles she faced—including a last-minute venue change and the extra childcare arrangements required as a single parent—affected her ability to perform at her best during the interview. I encouraged organisations to make a full audit of their end-to-end recruitment process and to view the candidate experiences through multiple lenses to make sure it was as robust as it could be.

I acknowledged that this was not simple but by making this investment, it would improve an organisation’s chances of driving up their hires from underrepresented groups which leads to diversity of thought. Diversity of thought is one of the most powerful weapons an organisation can use to fight for its survival in the increasingly competitive landscape that small bus operators find themselves faced with in the present day. With the challenging economic backdrop, reductions in passenger numbers and the essential links to the green agenda through the electrification of vehicles. Organisations that innovate will have a fighting chance to succeed. As the bigger players who are mostly now owned by large private equity firms and who are cutting back on spend and focusing on minimal levels of investment at a time when it is needed most, smaller providers can be more agile and have less governance and bureaucracy surrounding decision making and as a result can grow their market share by putting the customer first. To do this there is a need for a more agile, creative, innovative, and DIVERSE workforce in their organisations. One of the greatest requirements on today’s Bus Operators is to populate their teams with those who can see problems in different ways, who can relate to all customers and know the needs they have and bring fresh, competitive and inventive ways to help their businesses thrive.

Lastly the event was incredibly well organised and this was my first official public speaking role since I set my business up in 2019. It was not something that came naturally to me. My network rallied around me and fed back honestly until I was comfortable with my content. The Women in Transport team rallied around me and gave me pointers, tips and words of encouragement. On the actual day I spoke just before Women in Transport and both our presentations reinforced our valuable messages. We were a team and we networked and supported each other. The feedback from the audience was positive so I feel we conveyed our messages well. I love being part of Women in Transport and remain firmly committed to supporting where I can.