Manufacturing Forum

Skills

A working group was set up to establish how the UK should best address significant skills gaps and develop a transparent and high quality system for raising skills levels in UK manufacturing to world-class levels. The group met twice over the Spring and Summer. It agreed to:

• Provide Manufacturing Forum input into the DfES White Paper on Workplace Skills (published March 2005).
• Work closely with SEMTA to explore the most effective delivery of its Sector Skills Agreement.
• To explore the proposal in the White Paper for sector skills academies and models for delivery across manufacturing

Sector Skills Agreements

Sector Skills Councils ('SSC') have been set up at the national level to identify the skills employers need to improve productivity now and into the future.

The following sector skills councils are relevant to UK Manufacturing

• SEMTA (science, engineering and manufacturing technologies)
• Skillfast UK (apparel, footwear and textiles)
• Improve food and drink
• Proskills (Process and manufacturing)

An employer-led Sector Skills Agreement ('SSA') setting out an action plan to drive up skill levels in each sector will be developed by each SSC. SEMTA has made the most significant progress on their SSA.

The key aspects of SEMTA's SSA are: -

• o research has accurately identified key skills gaps (particularly at the skilled technician level) in the manufacturing sector (with specific research undertaken for Aerospace, Automotive, Electronics and, Bioscience), findings are mirrored by the DTI IGT teams.
• o Strong correlation across manufacturing sector on demand drivers (e.g. faster product development cycles) and types of skills gaps (95% correlation based on SEMTA research). Around 10,000 level 3/4 technicians required over next few years. Need therefore to put in place a long term, 10-year programme, to address these gaps.
• o SEMTA will be producing their Action Plan over the next 6 months and the Forum will be closely aligned with that work.

Manufacturing Skills Academy

The skills group indicated a strong desire for a manufacturing skills model that addresses common skills needs across the manufacturing sector

The Manufacturing Forum contracted KPMG to work with stakeholders to develop an Expression of Interest (EoI) for a manufacturing skills academy by September 2005. This EoI was submitted to the Department for Education and Skills for consideration by their independent panel.

Expression of Interest for Manufacturing Skills Academy

A decision on which national skills academies will be approved to go forward to a planning stage is expected around the end of October 2005. It is expected that, if successful, the Manufacturing Skills Academy business plan will be led by an experienced business person supported by a full-time executive team drawn from the first lead sectors (automotive, aerospace, electronics and marine) and other key organisations, such as SEMTA, the Regional Development Agencies, and the Learning and Skills Council.

Manufacturing Forum Secretariat key contact

Keith Hodgkinson - DTI