.png)
.png)
.jpg)
For Cumbria’s businesses, growth ambitions often hinge on one critical factor: having the right people in place at the right time – NRL Director Rebecca Graves tells in-Cumbria business magazine In-Cumbria business magazine.
Aligning your business strategy with your people strategy isn’t just a best practice HR exercise, it’s the key to long-term success as specialist technical and engineering recruiters NRL explain.
When workforce planning aligns with business growth plans, organisations gain a clear advantage. This approach helps anticipate future skills needs before they become critical and avoids costly recruitment delays that can stall projects and service expansion. Most importantly, it builds resilience by creating a talent pipeline that adapts to market demands, enabling businesses to stay agile and maintain momentum in a changing landscape.
NRL Director Rebecca Graves explains why they take the time to understand the company’s strategic plans both now and, in the future, to best support them with the right recruitment solution.
“We see time and again that businesses who invest in talent mapping and future workforce planning are better positioned to seize opportunities to secure lucrative contracts and gain new business when they become available. It’s about creating a proactive approach rather than reacting when skills gaps appear and capacity begins to bottleneck. This can mean drawing on the expertise of temporary contractors to scale up capability or recruiting from complementary sectors to bring in fresh new talent.”
Practical steps for HR and operational leaders
Workforce planning isn’t just about filling vacancies, it’s about future-proofing your business. Organisations who align their people strategy with their growth plans create opportunities for staff to progress in their roles, whilst ensuring a consist intake of new team members with the skills ready to drive the business forward.
Talent mapping - Identify critical roles and emerging skills early, enabling your business to prioritise training and recruitment prior to peaks in demand.
Partnering with experts - Recruitment specialists bring market insight and access to niche talent pools. They can help align hiring strategies with growth plans, ensuring your business doesn’t miss out on opportunities due to skills shortages.
Temporary solutions - Engaging contract workers can bridge immediate gaps while upskilling permanent teams. This approach is ideal for project-based work or expansion phases, offering flexibility without long-term risk.
If you’d like to discuss how your business can secure the skills you need for the future, get in touch with Rebecca Graves at rgraves@nrl.co.uk
You can read the full November issue of In-Cumbria business magazine online.