The Review states that “The last six months has seen:

•    A 5% increase in the number of enquiries received by companies that participated in the Review

•    About 60% of respondents have reported a slight increase in orders when compared with the preceding six months

•    40% of companies that replied have recruited skilled labour in the last six months albeit at a small scale whereas only 5% have shed skilled labour; this is in addition to the very slight increase in creating apprenticeships.”

In an exclusive interview, Ian Moore, CEO of the FIA reflects on the changes in the market.

The Market Conditions Review Wave 6 shows a positive incline for companies wishing to increase their training of staff over the next six months.  How will the FIA respond to this need?

The FIA’s current plan is to open a Manchester office this year in order to offer more courses to the North of England, which will give more people an opportunity to undertake the education they need to be successful in the industry.  Additionally, the current amount of trainers we have and options on non FIA office locations we currently have to do the training gives us flexibility to extend as per the need. We are also extending the range of courses to meet the ever increasing skill set requirements.

Respondents of the survey noted that tenders requiring Third Party Certification had increased ‘a lot more’ by around 5-10%.  Do you envisage this trend increasing?

Yes, I think the trend will continue to rise as there is an ever increasing desire for professionalism in the industry. As customers learn from experience that it does not pay to cut corners, they will begin to see the long term benefits of using installation and maintenance companies certified by an independent body for quality. Maybe it will become mandatory – as after all – it is working on a life safety system.

One respondent to the survey said they were “Shocked at how many poor and unsafe fire alarm installations we come across when we service and maintain systems as well as poor products”.  What steps will the FIA take to combat this problem?

To be honest this is a common complaint. We have to look deeper into these complaints to see the depth of the “poor and unsafe” as most companies will naturally believe their products and/or work is superior to their competitors. We do follow up on this on occasions to see the extent, and the standard of the installation is often the issue. Products are rarely the issue as most end-users / consultants are aware of the CPR regulations that have a third party approval as part of the process.

“There are a worrying amount of barely qualified people knocking on doors and taking work from us because they are persuasive & offering to do the service at knock down prices ‘as they are there’,” said one respondent to the survey.  What advice would you give and what is the FIA doing to help?

It is a difficult one as people are always looking for a “bargain” – unfortunately this often results in shoddy work that, again, is not good if you need to rely on your extinguisher (as an example) working when you need it. My advice would be to check the credentials of the company and see if they are part of a trade association that insists that its members have independent accreditation for quality, such as the FIA.

There appears to be a stable trend for companies recruiting skilled labour over the last few years.  Why do you think that might be?

Skilled often means efficient. So not only do companies want their engineers and technicians skilled (by solid training and experience) to ensure they carry out the job correctly and within the companies best practices (for reputation, loyalty to customers and repeat business), they also want them to be in and out in as quick a time as possible leading to increased profitability. So having skilled labour is for everyone’s benefit.

Compared to the last survey, there has been an increase of about 30% of companies reporting that they are taking on apprentices, compared to a couple of years ago when no companies were taking on apprentices.  Is this a positive step for the industry and do you think this trend will continue?

I think there is a lot of attention to apprenticeships. The Government is setting up various programmes (such as the trailblazer) and with the loss in talent in our market the need is every more apparent. If we do not embrace apprenticeships then we, as an industry, will struggle to find financially viable replacements (or extensions to the business as they grow) to our experienced workforce. The FIA, with its new offices coming shortly in Manchester, is setting aside an area for hands on training (something we have not done before) with apprenticeships featuring highly on the programmes.

There appears to be a stable trend for companies recruiting skilled labour over the last few years.  Why do you think that might be?

Skilled often means efficient. So not only do companies want their engineers and technicians skilled (by solid training and experience) to ensure they carry out the job correctly and within the companies best practices (for reputation, loyalty to customers and repeat business), they also want them to be in and out in as quick a time as possible leading to increased profitability. So having skilled labour is for everyone’s benefit.

To find out more about the Market Conditions Review, go to www.fia.uk.com to read the latest survey, find out the trends in the industry, and track the market over the last six months.

Ian Moore, CEO of the FIA.

Interviewed by Catherine Nelms, Content Executive of the FIA.