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BUSINESS WEST – CONNECTING BUSINESSES BUSINESS SUPPORT Advice and support from Business West


(two thirds of whom are practising engineers and technicians) and supports 14.5 million jobs in the UK. The West of England is home to the UK’s


largest aerospace cluster and one of the largest concentrations of aerospace activities in the European Union. The region has a prominent group of companies on the north fringe of Bristol (in the South Gloucestershire Local Authority area) with most internationally recognised aerospace companies located here, supported by a strong supply chain of smaller and locally developed companies. Engineering sectors produce


the majority of the nation’s exports and play an essential role in supporting the UK’s international competitiveness by investing in research and development and innovation. There is a total of 31,179 people employed in


Investing in aerospace skills A


dvanced engineering and aerospace is a highly dynamic and diverse industry that employs over five million people


‘Skills within the advanced


engineering and


aerospace industry are in constant development’


the advanced engineering and aerospace sector in the West of England, up from 23,000 in 2012. Employment in the engineering sector is


forecast to grow. Working Futures 2012-2022 shows that over this period, engineering companies will need to recruit 2.56 million people, with 257,000 of them being new vacancies and some in new and emerging areas not currently recognised. With a growing skills shortage in this industry,


future-proofing your workforce has never been more important than ever. Linda Ivell, advanced engineering and


aerospace skills adviser at


Business West, said: “Skills within the advanced engineering and


aerospace industry are in constant


development, and the existing wealth of knowledge amongst the workforce must be protected and retained, and passed on to the next generations. “With a higher than average age of workforce in


the sector, this asset needs to be secured as experienced people leave. It is essential to maintain a culture of skills development and opportunity to ensure continued success into the future.”


• Growth in demand for engineers will result in 56,000 jobs per year needed at level 3 (advanced apprenticeship) and 107,000 at level 4+ (HND/C, foundation degree,


Skills and training survey 2017


Here in the West of England (Bristol, Bath & NE Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire) our low unemployment rate often means businesses struggle to find employees with the right skills. Our survey explores your organisation’s recruitment, skills and training needs. This is your opportunity to share your


views and ensure that education and training provision in the West of England is responsive and relevant to business. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and every company that completes it will be entered in to a prize draw to win a £200, £75 or £50 for either Amazon vouchers or a Cabot Circus gift card. We promise to only use the data for research purposes. Your


contact information will not be passed to any third parties. To take the survey, visit our website


www.businesswest.co.uk/grow/people-and-skills/skills-survey 18 insight SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017


Linda Ivell, advanced engineering and aerospace skills adviser, discusses skills and training challenges with employers and training providers from the sector


undergraduate or postgraduate or equivalent). Analysis of supply data shows an annual shortfall of 29,000 people with level 3 skills and 40,000 with level 4+ skills.


• The West of England LEP employer skills survey highlighted technical sector specific skills gaps, along with above average skills gaps in the areas of leadership and management.


• Forty-three per cent of vacancies in the UK for professionals working in science, research, engineering and technology are hard to fill due to skills shortages.


Skills West are on hand to support your business with any skills and training needs, contact the team on 0330 124 4446 or email skillswest@businesswest.co.uk


Future Skills Workshop - Construction & Low Carbon Date:


Time: Cost:


26 September 2017 9:30am- 12:00pm


Venue: The Bristol Golf Club, St. Swithins Park, Almondsbury, Bristol BS10 7TP Free


The West of England continues to be at the centre of the UK's growth agenda with approximately 30,319 currently employed in the construction sector and over 5,600 in low carbon. These industries will only continue to grow; therefore, we need to


ensure we future-proof our new and existing workforce. Skills West, a free service delivered by Business West, are hosting a construction and low carbon skills event at Bristol Golf Course on 26 September, to help you understand how the apprenticeship reforms can be used to increase productivity and employee loyalty in your business. They will also explore training in general, the benefits of up-skilling your existing staff and how diversity plays an important role in sustaining your business.


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