SKILLS GAP
opportunities and to support our existing businesses in meeting their skills needs.
“We have some excellent engineering, manufacturing and offshore companies already working in our area, and hopefully business is only going to get better, however some of our companies already struggle to recruit people of the required calibre.
“The current workforce in these areas is ageing. A third will be reaching retirement within the next 10 years and will need replacing, if you compare that to the statistic that nationally there has been a 25% decrease in young people studying engineering and technology subjects at FE and you can easily see there is a major personnel issue just over the horizon”.
PRIORITIES To address the issue and the skills gap they have put together a list of simple priorities for their activity...
• Raise awareness of the career opportunities in engineering and manufacturing, and increase the demand for the courses and qualifications. (Renewable Energy and Offshore Wind can make these careers “sexy” and relevant to young people).
• Ensure that education and training provision matches the needs of the sector
• Get commitment from the industry to engage in skills initiatives, particularly with young people [Apprenticeships] and adults with transferrable skills and demonstrate that there are rewarding careers at the end of the journey.
• Establish training and employment routes into the project for people with the required skills and qualities
ACTION Acting on these priorities they have already actioned a number of activities...
• Held a number of region-wide events bringing our education institutions, the offshore industry and our existing companies together to better understand the skills issue and start the process of matching requirements to the curriculum. We had over 80 organisations represented at our last event
• Actively participated in strategic partnerships with the offshore industry, education and skills providers [for example the East Coast Windskills Group] Scarborough Borough now has schools taking part in the Forewind ‘Champions for Wind Programme’
• Organised and taken part in careers events including, a dedicated ‘Engineering Week’ designed to inspire young people to pursue a technical career.
• Developed a number of active initiatives and future funding bids which include financial support to grow the workforce necessary for new sectors. Working with Local Government for Yorkshire and Humber we are now leading the Green Skills work programme for EU2020. Consisting of a collaboration of 14 European Countries sharing best practice, Scarborough will be bringing forward a European wide programme to secure funding for training in the sector.
• Instigated the formation of the Yorkshire and Humber All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). As an influential voice in Westminster the APPG brings together MPs throughout the region to work together to address the economic issues facing the area. Renewable Energy and Skills are 2 of the hi priority topic areas the group will be tackling over the next 12 months.
SO WHAT NEXT FOR SCARBOROUGH? Alex concluded “We take this work very seriously and have will continue to build on the good foundations we have in place, we have recently recruited a new education and skills manager, Simon Featherstone to co-ordinate this work and will continue to try and influence and encourage our politicians, education providers and the industry to engage to address the skills gap issue.”
“As part of this we recognise there is a lot to be gained from having an independent, easy to find, easily accessible web based resource to assist in providing industry skills and careers information and advice and on that basis we will be actively supporting wind energy network to make that happen.”
“As we find time and time again, the key to success is working together.”
Scarborough Borough Council
www.scarborough.gov.uk
e = See enhanced entry online for South Tyneside
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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