NEWS Training N
igel Fine, chief executive of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has
responded to the recent publication of the Sainsbury Report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education.
Mr Fine said: “The UK’s technical education system is overly complex and this report not only highlights this, but also offers valuable insight into how to reform it.
“Technical education is an equally valued pathway into engineering alongside the higher education route, but the UK is currently lagging behind countries such as France and Germany so reform is urgently needed to ensure that we do not fall further down the global rankings. “More crucially, we were anticipating a shortage of nearly two million engineers in the UK, before any impact from Brexit, so the opportunity to reform technical education for the long term is absolutely critical.
“Particularly welcome are the clear progression routes between technical and academic education as set out in the report, which means we can encourage young people to progress from apprenticeships to degree courses and vice versa. This will improve the level of practical skills and knowledge which employers so urgently need.
“The proposed reforms to provide opportunities for high-quality, structured work placements for students to gain much needed practical and technical skills will also greatly help in improving skills levels – helping to address the skills gap the industry now faces.”
According to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), international benchmarking indicates that science and innovation in the country is hampered by weaknesses in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) talent. The report suggests that while there is no overall under supply of high level STEM skills in the labour market, employers are still unable to find potential recruits with the specific capabilities they require. UKCES concludes that a greater range of options combining work and study are required to deliver higher level technical skills alongside practical experience. These options are a mechanism by which employers can effectively access the specific skills that they need.
Despite this recommendation, training offered to STEM professionals is lower than other professionals.
The Open University, calling for a greater focus on work-based education, says that these options encourage employees to apply knowledge practically in their workplace, boosting the effectiveness of training. Those in search of career change and progression can feasibly become the highly skilled STEM workers the UK needs.
Steve Hill, Director of External Engagement at The Open University, commented: “At the moment we are not doing enough to connect education in high level skills to the business needs of the country, so we urgently need to refocus our training efforts. Greater awareness around the effectiveness of work-based training is needed if the UK’s economic future
is to lie in high value, knowledge- intensive activities and innovation.” Mr Hill continued: “There are many challenges facing the STEM sectors at the moment, not least as they seek to secure routes of funding for research and development. The health of this sector is of vital importance to businesses across the UK: engineering alone generates £455.6bn GDP, and specific STEM skills play a pivotal role in developing innovative products and services.
“Considering the high value placed on technical skills, it is disappointing that workers in STEM-related roles receive less training than those in other professional occupations. “Businesses facing a shortage of high-level technical skills cannot rely on the possibility that they will be able to hire individuals with the right expertise, as well as soft skills and commercial awareness.[4] We need to consider the potential of many people already within the workforce: if we offer them appropriate training, we can quickly develop work-ready and highly-skilled individuals across the full range of STEM capabilities.”
Britain’s young apprentices have called upon the new Government to put skills and qualifications at the very top of the agenda in Brexit Britain and created a ‘five point plan’ to help them do just that. They are also calling for professional qualifications as standard to ensure apprenticeships get the recognition they deserve and ensure quality is maintained. The results of the Industry Apprentice Council’s latest survey shows a lack of information
regarding the opportunities that apprenticeships offer: ■ 50% of respondents found out about their apprenticeship through their own initiative; 15% found out from a teacher or careers adviser
■ 24% were actively encouraged to take up an apprenticeship by educators
■ 84% had not heard of the planned apprenticeship levy
■ 70% are unaware of the government’s 3m apprentice target
■ 75% want a professional accreditation as standard.
The five point plan to boost apprenticeships formulated by apprentices themselves, will seek to; ■ ensure the quality of apprenticeships is protected through qualifications as the quantity increases
■ ask employers to make apprentices more aware of career options
■ reform careers advice ■ ensure employers offer progression routes to apprentices capable of pursuing them
■ set up an NUS-style body to represent apprentices’ interests.
Fujitsu has opened a new training centre dedicated to the air- conditioning sector at their officers in Dublin.
Although this new training centre has not yet had its official opening, the demand for training has meant that it is already open and running courses. All courses are taught by in-house engineers who all have many years’ experience working with the company’s products.
8 August 2016
www.acr-news.com
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