Government, industry and institutions have joined forces to create the Talent Retention Scheme (TRS). Available across key sectors, the scheme is designed to support individuals and organisations in dealing with business restructuring or economic change.

Though originally focused on skills retention and redeployment, TRS has evolved to include platforms that support the attraction and development of talent.

Lord Willis, Chair of the TRS Members Group, said: "The beauty of TRS is that it’s led by employers. They are looking beyond their own needs to what benefits the wider engineering and manufacturing landscape."

Operations Manager of HR Shared Services at Rolls-Royce plc, Iain Snape, agreed: “The TRS redeployment platform meant we had no compulsory redundancies and saved us tens of millions of pounds in potential redundancy costs.”

Many services provided by TRS are free for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This not-for-profit programme is funded through sponsor and member companies such as Siemens and Airbus, as well as professional institutions such as the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).  Other trade associations and stakeholder organisations involved include the National Skills Academy, Energy Skills Scotland, and STEM Futures.

TRS has three different portals: 

• TRS – the Talent & Redeployment Portal
• Talentview – the Early Careers Portal, putting students in touch with businesses, and providing information about apprenticeships
• The Rolls-Royce Portal – specifically for opportunities at the Rolls-Royce company

The Construction Leadership Council (the CLC) has also launched a specific Talent Retention Scheme for the construction sector, which is backed by construction unions, business associations and professional institutions. Hundreds of employers have already signed up to the platform, which can be used by candidates seeking new roles and by employers.

To find out more visit the Talent Retention website: www.talentretention.co.uk