Product category:
Engineering Education, Resources and Standards
News Release from: The Manufacturing Institute
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 29 September 2005
Education executive aims to close
training gap
A time bomb is ticking for North West manufacturers who are failing to engage the next generation of talent, according to the Manufacturing Institute.
A time bomb is ticking for North West manufacturers who are failing to engage the next generation of talent, warns the Manufacturing Institute, a charitable organisation run by manufacturers for manufacturers to boost skills and productivity "If we want to avoid manufacturing becoming a victim of slow death by the low wage economies of Asia, then we need to develop the next generation of talented people capable of powering high value, knowledge led industries", says Julie Madigan, Chief Executive of The Manufacturing Institute
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 28 Sep 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The 2003 National Employer Skills Survey found that 95% of manufacturing and engineering firms believed skill shortages adversely affected their businesses and that there were some 18,250 unfilled positions.
At the same time, the number of engineering and manufacturing graduates has dropped nationally by over 40% in the last nine years.
To help turn the tide, the Manufacturing Institute is working with industry to develop young industrial skills for tomorrow and challenge negative perceptions about manufacturing as a career.
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Newly appointed education executive Nicola Eagleton is working with partners to push manufacturing towards the top of the agenda in schools - boosting awareness of the diverse range of job opportunities within the industry and encouraging interest in developing the right levels of expertise.
"Only around 30 out of almost 600 North West secondary schools currently offer a GCSE course in manufacturing and average pupil performance is low".
"This is just one of many areas we need to build on, if we are to address future skill shortages in the region", advises Eagleton.
"We are developing links between manufacturers and local schools to ensure pupils get a real feel of what modern manufacturing can offer them".
"At the same time, schools need a clear understanding of the key skills that industry requires", she adds.
Among the projects being organised are teacher placements with industry, factory visits for schools and manufacturing mentors working directly with teachers and pupils in the classroom.
The Manufacturing Institute is also working closely with the North West Learning Grid (a consortium of 19 local authorities) on an interactive online resource for teachers to help them engage their pupils in manufacturing.
Eagleton has joined the Manufacturing Institute, which delivers the Manufacturing Advisory Service North West (MAS NW), from the education/business partnership organisation BEST (Business and Education Succeed Together).
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