Skills shortages continue to dominate conversations across almost every industry. While many organisations are focused on recruiting experienced talent today, Sandra Hill believes the bigger challenge is making sure those experienced people exist tomorrow.
We asked Sandra to share why apprenticeships matter and what businesses should be thinking about now.
The Challenge Started Long Before AI
If I’m honest, I don’t think this is really an AI issue.
AI has become the headline because it’s changing the way businesses work, but I believe the challenge started long before AI entered the conversation.
For years, we’ve been reducing the number of apprentices, graduates and young people coming into our businesses. At the time, those decisions often made sense. Companies were under pressure, budgets were tight and recruitment was one of the first things to be scaled back.
I remember seeing it happen after the financial crisis in 2008, and then again around 2019. It wasn’t unique to one industry either, it happened across the board.
The trouble is, decisions like that don’t just affect today. They shape the workforce you’ll have five or ten years from now.
Every week I speak to businesses looking for experienced engineers, transformation leaders, operations professionals and specialists. They’re asking the same question: “Where have all the experienced people gone?”
The answer is often quite simple.
If we stop investing in people at the beginning of their careers, we can’t be surprised when there aren’t enough experienced professionals further down the line.
Building the Future Workforce Starts Today
One of the biggest conversations I have with clients is around skills shortages.
They’re looking for people with five or ten years’ experience, but there simply aren’t enough of them in many sectors.
That’s because experience has to be developed.
Nobody starts their career as a director, an engineering manager or a transformation leader. Every experienced professional was once an apprentice, a graduate or someone starting their first job.
Somebody gave them an opportunity.
Somebody invested in them.
That’s why I always encourage businesses to look beyond the vacancy they need to fill today and think about the people they’ll need leading their organisation in the future.
For me, apprenticeships have never been about filling junior roles.
They’re about developing future managers, technical specialists, directors and business leaders.
“You can’t recruit someone with ten years’ experience if nobody invested in them ten years earlier.”
We Need to Inspire Young People Earlier
Another area I think we need to improve is how we introduce young people to careers.
A couple of years ago, I visited a school in Manchester to talk about engineering.
I asked the students what an engineer did.
The answer I got was, “Someone who fixes cars.”
That really stayed with me.
Manchester has an incredible engineering heritage, yet many young people still don’t understand the variety of careers available, not just in engineering, but across manufacturing, technology, operations and so many other sectors.
That’s not because they aren’t interested, it’s because we aren’t showing them what’s possible.
Businesses do a fantastic job of working with universities and colleges, but I think we need to start much earlier. We should be talking to children while they’re still at school and helping them understand the opportunities available before they’ve already decided which path they’re going to take.
University is the right choice for some people.
Apprenticeships are the right choice for others.
Neither route is better, they’re simply different, and both have an important role to play.
Investing in People is Investing in Your Business
Some of the most successful leaders I’ve worked with didn’t follow a traditional academic route.
They started as apprentices.
They learnt on the job, built confidence, developed their technical expertise and progressed because somebody believed in their potential.
That’s why I see apprenticeships as one of the best long-term investments a business can make.
You’re not just recruiting for today’s vacancy.
You’re building the capability your business will depend on in the years ahead.
Sandra’s Advice
If there’s one question I’d encourage every business leader to ask themselves, it’s this:
Who will be leading our business in ten years’ time?
If the answer isn’t clear, perhaps it’s time to look at what opportunities you’re creating today.
For me, apprenticeships have never been about filling junior positions.
They’re about creating opportunities, developing skills and giving people the chance to build rewarding careers.
Because today’s apprentice could easily become tomorrow’s managing director, operations leader or transformation specialist.
That’s why apprenticeships matter.
If you’d like to discuss succession planning, leadership hiring or building future capability within your organisation, get in touch with Sandra Hill.
Transformation hiring trends in 2026 are shifting faster than most organisations realise. While many companies still talk about transformation as a top priority, the way they hire for it is evolving in more subtle, and more important ways.
From a headhunter’s perspective, transformation hiring trends are no longer about landing a single high-profile executive. Instead, they reflect a deeper shift in how organisations build capability, deliver results, and sustain change.
From Chief Transformation Officers to Distributed Talent
One of the most visible transformation hiring trends is the decline of the “single leader” model. In the past, companies often hired Chief Transformation Officers to drive change from the top.
Today, that approach is losing momentum.
As Sandra Hill, international headhunter, explains: “Organisations are moving away from the idea that one transformation executive can drive change alone. The companies making the most progress are building transformation capability across the entire leadership structure.”
Instead, organisations are embedding transformation capabilities across multiple roles. Product leaders, data experts, and operational specialists are now expected to contribute to transformation outcomes. This reflects a broader understanding: transformation is not a project, it is a continuous capability.
For hiring leaders, this means rethinking structure. Rather than relying on one executive, they must build interconnected teams that can deliver change collectively.
Execution Is Driving Transformation Hiring Trends
Another defining feature of transformation hiring trends in 2026 is the shift from vision to execution.
“One of the biggest changes in transformation hiring is that boards are now prioritising evidence of execution over strategic storytelling,” says Sandra. “Candidates are increasingly judged on measurable outcomes, not just vision.”
Boards and investors are increasingly focused on measurable outcomes. As a result, candidates are being evaluated on what they have delivered, not just what they can describe.
Hiring briefs now emphasise:
– Proven impact on financial and operational performance
– Speed and sustainability of change
– Ability to build lasting internal capability
This shift is making transformation hiring more evidence-based. Candidates who can demonstrate real results stand out far more than those with purely strategic credentials.
The Rise of Hybrid Leaders
Hybrid talent is at the centre of transformation hiring trends.
“The most in-demand transformation leaders today are hybrid operators – people who can connect strategy, technology, operations, and commercial performance in a practical way,” says Sandra.
Organisations are prioritising leaders who can operate across multiple domains rather than staying within a single function.
The most in-demand profiles combine:
– Strategy and technology
– Commercial insight and data expertise
– Operations and customer experience
These hybrid leaders are critical because transformation depends on integration. Success is not just about designing change, it is about making it work across the organisation.
Culture Is the Hidden Factor in Transformation Hiring
Despite all the focus on talent, one of the most overlooked transformation hiring trends is organisational readiness.
Many companies attempt to hire transformation leaders without addressing internal barriers such as misaligned incentives or resistant cultures.
“A common mistake organisations still make is assuming transformation challenges can be solved purely through hiring,” says Sandra. “In reality, even exceptional leaders struggle when the surrounding culture and structure are not aligned for change.”
This often leads to underperformance, regardless of the quality of the hire.
Forward-thinking organisations are starting to recognise this gap. They are asking not only who to hire, but also how to create an environment where transformation talent can succeed.
What Transformation Hiring Trends Mean for 2026
Looking ahead, transformation hiring trends point to several clear shifts:
– Organisations will invest in systems of talent rather than single hires
– Execution and measurable impact will outweigh strategic vision alone
– Hybrid leadership profiles will dominate hiring priorities
– Cultural readiness will become a critical success factor
A New Era of Transformation Hiring
Transformation hiring trends in 2026 show that organisations are moving beyond symbolic hires. The focus is now on building sustainable capability and delivering real outcomes.
From a headhunter’s lens, the challenge is no longer just finding the right candidate. It is ensuring the organisation is ready to support and scale transformation.
“The organisations that will succeed over the next few years will not necessarily be the ones that hire the most impressive talent,” says Sandra. “They will be the ones that align talent, structure, and culture around execution.”
Ultimately, the companies that succeed will be those that align talent, structure, and culture, not just those that hire well.