Sector Skills Council calls for government to invest in skills training and development ahead of the emergency budget

15 June 2010

Proskills, the Sector Skills Council for the Process and Manufacturing sector, is urging the government at this month's emergency budget to put greater investment behind skills training and qualification. This will help bridge the widening skills gap, which is affecting the future of these industries and UK manufacturing and construction.

The process and manufacturing sector manufactures a variety of products that are crucial to the UK supply chain to construction. Yet government has failed to include the needs of the companies and employees within these sectors when considering skills training and qualification schemes.

According to research from Proskills, there are around 3,500 vacancies across this sector. More than 44,000 people already in employment in the sector have skill gaps relating to their current occupations. Investing in training and development for new and existing employees will help fill these vacancies and deal with the current skills crisis.

Terry Watts, ceo of Proskills comments: "To remain at the forefront of world manufacturing we must, with employers, invest in the skills of the workforce and make those skills transferable to allow people to become multi specialists. By working in partnership with employers and supporting them in their investment in skills during this transition, we can help people to build their future in UK manufacturing.

"Manufacturing activity is on the rise and, with the government's budget due out on 22nd, we urge the government to look at how they can best invest in the skills of the whole of the UK workforce. We have a significant opportunity to be flexible, innovative and make rapid changes; this is a once in a generation opportunity to change the skills system."

One of Proskill's core objectives is to re-engage SME's in training and development but government support is needed. Employers do not expect blanket government subsidy but the matched-funding approach as in the Joint Investment Programme (JIP), first announced in last year's White Paper "Skills for Growth", was an opportunity to commit resources to, and lead a renewed focus on skills development across the sector.

This collaborative approach is a positive way to stimulate the market for skills among both providers and SMEs in the sector, and open up opportunities to develop forward-looking training provision and qualifications to match current and future skills needs.

The commitment from companies to developing the skills of their employees is also evident through Proskills coordinating a matched total of more than £20 million from employers dedicated to skills development for more than 30,000 learners.

Terry Watts continues, "A scheme that stimulates a greater investment in transferable skills within the sector would be a good first step towards ensuring that employers have a genuine voice in directing financial support for skills development, especially in areas that have not previously been eligible for funding.

"Through the work of Sector Skills Councils (SSC's) we have unprecedented engagement with employers. We want government to use our access to industry and work with employers so that we do not have a public sector led skills system. The opportunity to work with employers through SSCs has never been exploited fully, yet it represents a unique way of uniting employers on wider issues, as well as skills, and offers the services of employers in the sector to help drive an exciting future for UK Manufacturing."

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