OPINION CHAMBER LINK


THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF GREATER BIRMINGHAM CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE


EDITOR’S VIEW


BY JOHN LAMB J Sutton Coldfield


Chamber of Commerce


aguar Land Rover is the jewel in our crown. With over 25,000 people directly relying on the group for employment and many more if you count suppliers, its importance to the region cannot be over-estimated.


It consistently leads car sales in the UK closely followed by, albeit smaller, contributions from


BMW and even the tiny, by comparison, MG plant at Longbridge. But the UK picture is less bright. According to figures published by the Office for National


Statistics, manufacturing output in December 2015 was down 0.2 per cent on the month and down 1.7 per cent on the year. Total industrial production was down 1.1 per cent on the month and down 0.4 per cent on the year. If we are to safeguard our precious manufacturing and engineering sectors, much needs to


be done to ensure that people are leaving universities and colleges with the sort of skills that can ensure its future. Locally we have the biggest issue, stridently pointed out by Jaguar Land Rover. They have made an urgent plea to the Government to work with industry to help fill up to 5,000 vacancies across the UK automotive sector. Jo Lopes, head of technical excellence at Jaguar Land Rover, challenged Downing Street in the wake of a report from the Automotive Council which revealed that 5,000 jobs were going begging in the car sector. David Tomalin, Skills Hub manager at the Chamber, said the UK was ‘creating its own skills


gap’ by bending to the demand for ‘fashionable’ careers, like those in psychology, theatrical make-up and media studies (see Page 14). This is partly a legacy from previous governments, who encouraged youngsters to regard


Connecting you to opportunity


FRONT COVER Gyles Brandreth is set to return as keynote speaker at the upcoming Chamber dinner and awards See page 6


EDITOR John Lamb 0121 607 1781, 0797 1144064 j.lamb@birmingham-chamber.com


You can now read the latest issue of CHAMBERLINK and view back issues online at: www.birmingham-chamber.com


university as the only option under the “education, education, education” mantra of the Blair administration. It tended to produce a surfeit of actors and media sorts, not noted for being at the cutting edge of the global economy. The hard-nosed industries at the sharp end of the economy were largely ignored and we are


now suffering from those policies. A report, drawn up by automotive industry consultants SMMT Industry Forum on behalf of


the Automotive Industrial Partnership, said nearly one in five of the unfilled vacancies cited in the report were identified as ‘critical.’ The majority of vacancies were in engineering, with the top two in-demand roles being


design and production engineers. But this is hardly recognised. This is obviously a self-made skills gap and we should switch to the promotion of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects to young people. Businesses need an appropriately skilled and accessible workforce in order to grow and


achieve their potential. Greater Birmingham has many strengths relating to skills with a high number of world-class universities, further education institutions and schools in the city-region. However, with a lower than average rate of high level qualifications attainment and high


proportion of businesses reporting recruitment difficulties, many challenges remain and cross- sector action is needed to tackle Greater Birmingham’s skills gaps. With Jaguar Land Rover submitting plans for the expansion of its Castle Bromwich and


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Whitley, Coventry, bases, it will be seen as a serious test of the Government’s commitment to support the Midlands Engine for Growth.


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CHAMBERLINK is produced on behalf of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chambers and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chambers nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chambers. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.


BIRMINGHAM CHAMBER PATRONS


4 CHAMBERLINK MARCH 2016


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