Aviation Recruitment Network (ARN) has launched a new airport staff vetting service to help reduce the amount of time it takes to recruit airport staff.
Last year saw huge delays at airports across the UK and around the globe as a result of problems recruiting airport staff at all levels. While this has eased significantly there is still potential for hold-ups going forward because of the lengthy security vetting needed as part of the recruiting process for anyone working airside.
In response to this ARN has launched its national vetting service for airport-based businesses that don’t have recruitment partners but want to speed up their own vetting process and get new workers cleared to fill vacancies faster, heading off staff shortages and reducing hiring times.
According to Kully Sandhu, Managing Director of ARN, (pictured), the company’s research shows that someone applying for a job can wait months for security checks to be completed before they can start work. “This means that if they were to be offered a role elsewhere outside of the airport whilst they wait for the security checks to be completed, they may be enticed to take employment elsewhere.”
He added that candidates sitting at home for 60 days waiting for full checks to be completed can result in a costly and frustrating recruitment process.
“Currently the Civil Aviation Authority sets a minimum standard for security vetting checks on all staff at UK airports who are required to work “airside” – the critical part of an airport. Security vetting not only applies to security staff. All roles, including baggage handlers, customer service agents, aircraft engineers, cabin crew, pilots, retail assistants, hospitality staff and cleaners, must undergo this rigorous process.”
ARN aims to help airport employers speed up the time it takes to security clear their personnel and has brought this process down to 23 days (rather than the industry average of 30-60 days) Sandhu explained the company has been able to do this, “thanks to its 25 years of industry experience, its bespoke systems and the processes it uses to manage the vetting process.”
A more consistent approach to security vetting across all UK airports would also help cut the risk of staff shortages and would allow workers to switch between roles in the same airport or move to new roles in different airports without having to security clear the same individual again.
