Susan Evans business development director of Sector Skills Council Semta, discusses training support available to smaller engineering businesses in challenging economic times:
“Many economic experts closely align the fortunes of the manufacturing sector to the overall health of the UK economy. The UK is still one of the world’s major manufacturing countries, contributing £140 billion per annum to the economy; and accounting for over half (55 per cent) of all UK exports.
“Yet 99% of the sector are SMEs, employing less than 250 people and may lack dedicated HR personnel to support their skills investment. We are urging these employers to invest in skills that will help reverse the decline in output revealed by last month’s Markit/CIPS purchasing manager’s index (PMI).
“Research shows that upskilling the workforce and investing in training programmes improve a business’s performance, productivity and overall profitability.
“Why? A recent Skills Survey produced by The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) revealed 44 per cent of UK manufacturing employers have provided no training in the last 12 months. Our data shows that UK engineering and manufacturing businesses need to upskill 363,000 of the technical workforce to achieve world class standards. Firms need to focus on effective skills development now, to cure skills gaps and compete on a global scale.
“Worryingly the Skills Survey found that skill gaps were likely to be caused by staff having ineffective training (29 per cent) or not having had the appropriate training (23 per cent). Semta’s approach is to work with companies to plan training that will deliver the company’s business objectives. By determining the business needs and carrying out organisational and training needs analysis as a prelude to planning and delivery, the actual training will be more effective.
“Understanding the sector’s priority needs means Semta has training programmes available to help smaller companies. These include programmes such as Introduction to Lean and Lean Leader, First Line Supervisor and Managing for Success, all of which support the essential development of skills to support a culture of quality and continuous improvement. We also offer a Health and Safety Passport and CNC programming skills training. The CNC course can be partnered with skills diagnostics to ensure the learning has reached required levels so that machine operators chart their progress. Semta courses are delivered by recognised providers who use tried and tested techniques to ensure people learn effectively.
“Also smaller companies are less likely to train than larger companies, Semta therefore has experts who can provide HR consultancy support specifically to help smaller companies plan and get a return on training investment. For example Semta is supporting FSL Aerospace and its 21 strong workforce with its growth plans through the introduction of a structured human resources (HR) and people development system.
“The new HR system will help underpin Uxbridge-based FSL Aerospace’s quality and delivery performance so that the company achieves the coveted SC21 aerospace supply chain excellence silver standard.
“The new FSL Aerospace HR system is specifically aligned to FSL Aerospace’s, company values, business goals and priorities and includes job descriptions, skills matrices, assessment plans, a revised induction programme, training plans, role development and 360o appraisals.
“The need to invest in training is also driven by changing demographics. By 2020 nearly a third of UK workers will be aged over 50. As a result of an ageing workforce, businesses in the key sectors of engineering and manufacturing will need to recruit 82,000 scientists, engineers and technologists across the UK by 2016.
“At Semta we believe apprenticeships in engineering are a proven route to developing technical skills in new recruits and existing staff. However smaller companies may lack the resource to run an apprenticeship programme. So Semta launched its own apprenticeship management service to help such companies hire, train and fund apprentices.
“Semta’s sector experts can also help companies improve business performance by outsourcing their training, providing bespoke courses, leading strategic workforce planning, or finding available funding and quality providers, and advising on employing an apprentice or a graduate.”
Firms interested in finding out more about how training could support their business strategy can visit www.semta.org.uk or contact Semta customer services on 0845 643 9001, email customerservices@semta.org.uk
