Traditionally, accreditations such as these are completed as and when the employer requests, or, if the employer is supplying engineers to end customers who will require a certain level of industry standards. Previously, experience alone was sufficient for a strong candidate to secure a role but due to the bigger talent pool, employers can be much more selective and candidates are responding to this by upskilling.
Leanne Thomas, Business Manager at Hays Telecoms, comments: “There are now increased numbers of engineers on the market seeking employment and they are competing against more experienced professionals who are prepared to take a drop in salary in order to secure a position. This means that increasingly we are seeing junior engineers look to gain accreditation at a much earlier stage of their career in order to ensure that they don’t miss out on good opportunities.”