Tag Archives: skills

Appointments, Business

Paul Butterworth appointed Vice Chair of Regional Learning and Skills Partnership

Paul Butterworth, the CEO of Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, has been appointed as the new Vice Chair of the Regional Learning and Skills Partnership (RLSP) for south-west Wales.

Covering Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea, the RLSP is dedicated to bridging the gap between education, skills, and regeneration. It aims to ensure that the skills provision is aligned with the economic priorities and opportunities of the region, as well as tackling the new skills landscape that is happening within the energy, construction, manufacturing and digital sectors.

As CEO of Chambers Wales, Paul brings a wealth of experience and a passion for the economic and skills development of Welsh businesses with him to the board.

As the voice of the business community with policymakers, Paul will advocate for enhanced skills training, infrastructure improvements and the creation of skilled jobs, all aimed at creating local economic growth.

Upon his appointment, Paul said: “I am determined to create a better and fairer business landscape for West Wales to ensure that the local economy has the best available skills development for future project development and the transition into the green economy and energy sector to ensure West Wales thrives.”

Jane Lewis, Regional Partnerships Manager at RLSP, said: “We are delighted to have Paul on the board. He will be instrumental in achieving our goals and look forward to the positive impact his appointment will have on the region.”

Finance and Banking, News, North of England

HURST blazes a trail with new Vistage Inside leadership development programme

Independent accounting and business advisory firm HURST is blazing a trail with a new leadership development programme for 12 of its rising stars.

HURST is the first accountancy firm headquartered in the north to launch a Vistage Inside programme for future leaders.

Vistage, with 45,000 members worldwide, is a global leader in personal development and advisory groups for CEOs, key executives and leadership teams, providing insight, fresh perspectives, peer advisory groups, coaching and mentoring.

The two-year Vistage Inside programme combines tailored workshops with speaker sessions, insight papers, webinars and one-to-one coaching.

HURST’s bespoke Developing Leaders initiative is being delivered by Victoria Gee, former managing partner at executive search company Warren Partners, in her role as the founder and chair of a Manchester and Cheshire Vistage CEO peer advisory group.

The programme began this month with a full-day workshop and a talk by award-winning speaker, business author and ‘corporate athlete’ Brad Waldron on the key habits of highly-effective leadership.

Chris Stewardson, the HURST partner who is leading the programme for the firm, said: “The partners firmly believe it is essential to equip our developing leaders with the commercial, client and people skills to ensure the continued success and growth of the practice.

“Several of the HURST board have benefited from Vistage membership for some time, and we are now bringing Vistage to a wider group of people in the firm who are developing into a leadership role. The group is very excited to be working with Victoria to assist with their self-development and look forward to putting their learnings into practice.”

HURST focuses on advising entrepreneurial owner-managed businesses with turnover of £10m and above across all sectors. Clients include Kinaxia Logistics, M&I Materials, Beechfield Brands, Duerr’s, Oliver Valves, Lancashire County Cricket Club, Krones UK, Creamline Dairies, Arighi Bianchi, Scapa Group and Hyde Group.

Victoria said: “HURST’s senior leaders have seen the value of developing their skills and knowledge in partnership with our organisation, and it’s great to see the firm taking an impressively proactive approach to developing its leaders of the future and investing to ensure they continue to meet the expectations of its entrepreneurial client base and team.

“The practice has a fantastic culture, a great reputation and a strong position in the market, which all set it apart, but its leaders understand they cannot be complacent as they compete to attract, retain and grow their talent.”

She added: “We provide an environment where people can learn and be challenged in an open, supportive way that’s aligned to the culture at HURST.

“Our aim is to ensure that they are not only great technical accountants but also rounded leaders who understand entrepreneurs and the challenges and opportunities they face, and who are equipped to have the right conversations at the right time.

“As the first accountancy firm headquartered in the north to have launched a VI programme of this kind, it’s extremely exciting to be working with HURST and helping to bring on its next generation of leaders.”

Andy Perkins, managing director of international operations at Vistage UK, said: “The partnership between HURST and Vistage is a great example of our mission in action.

“Through this collaboration we’ll be able to support HURST to do more of what’s important to the firm – focusing on personal and business growth, supporting its people to become better leaders who make better decisions and achieve better results, as well as placing the values of trust, challenge and care at the centre of everything they do.

“We know that better leaders have a positive impact on their companies, families and communities, and we are thrilled to be supporting HURST in its continued growth plans and developing its leadership talent of the future.”

HURST is due to move its head office to a new flagship development in Stockport in the spring to accommodate its growing team. The firm is taking 11,000sq ft at 3 Stockport Exchange, the latest phase of a £145m project by Muse Developments and Stockport Council.

HURST is taking a 10-year lease and will occupy the entire fifth floor at the building. It has been based since 1998 in Tiviot Dale in Stockport town centre, but has outgrown those premises. The new HQ will give the firm scope to expand from 120 staff to around 170, which it aims to achieve over the next three years.

News

Upskilling local Shropshire construction talent

As it celebrates 20 years in business, local manufacturer, Lime Green Products Ltd, is investing in its team and its technical capabilities as it expands, fuelling Shropshire’s construction talent growth.

Over the past five years, Lime Green has continued to invest in its apprentice and training programmes, alongside the redevelopment of its plant – representing over £2m investment – to offer new opportunities to local people.

Currently, over 50% of the Lime Green team are undergoing, or shortly starting, apprentices and industry training courses to develop their construction skillsets.

“This investment reflects our desire to raise the profile of construction materials that are made in the United Kingdom,” says Simon Ayres, co-founder and managing director, Lime Green Products.

“The amount of imported materials in the UK construction industry is frightening, and it’s increasing, despite the fact that rising prices and the carbon footprint of these materials means looking locally is much more efficient. At Lime Green, we’re always looking to source materials as much as we can locally, and we do the same when we’re looking for new employees”

Opening new career pathways

“Investing in our team’s training is critical to growing local talent, which will support our growth ambitions long into the future,” continues Simon.

“All of our apprentices are local to the area, and we prioritise courses with local training providers – including Telford College and AGL Training Ltd. It’s all about investing in and upskilling the local area.

“Looking forward, it’s not just about what our apprentices are doing now, but also about what they can go on to achieve. One great example of that is Toseef, who completed his level 2 in Performing Manufacturing Operations, before being promoted and beginning work towards his team leader supervisor level 3 course.

“We’ve also got experienced team members with no formal qualifications, who feel inspired by the culture of learning throughout the business and have opted to start college courses after 10 years in the business.”

Highly technical skillsets

Meeting the most exacting, world-class standards, Lime Green’s high-tech plant measures +/- 1g per tonne, which ensures a reliable product quality and unbeatable repeatability, especially when it comes to colour matching.

As a result, many of Lime Green’s job roles are highly technical and specialist. There’s often not someone locally, or even nationally, who has the skills needed – it’s about training people into the roles.

“Our research and development apprentices – Rachael and Callum – work closely with our chemist on specialist product developments, so we can continue to advance our product portfolio with lime materials that meet industry trends and solve our clients’ problems,” continues Simon.

“As part of that, they’re continually learning to apply practical skills, enabling them to use highly-technical testing equipment to record and report results that ensure robust product quality assurance.”

Fostering a culture of continual learning

“All of our team members are actively encouraged to consider new training and development opportunities,” explains Simon. “We’re a relatively small team, so the knowledge and skills external training brings to our business is invaluable.

“With a family-feel to our culture, we’re always looking to build long-term futures with our apprentices. Although some go on to incredible opportunities that would never have been possible before, many choose to develop with us over long periods of time.”

Lime Green’s investment in upskilling its team and local talent is at the core of its growth plans over the coming months and years, and long into the future.

To find out more, visit Lime Green Products or call 0800 538 5746.

News

Industry leaders come together at business summit to close skills gap in Wales

UNITING industry, education and innovation with communities is pivotal to closing the skills gap in North Wales.

Pryderi ap Rhisiart (pictured), Managing Director of M-SParc science park on Anglesey, made the plea during a business summit hosted by Antur Cymru Enterprise at the Quay Hotel and Spa in Deganwy.

He was joined by a panel of top speakers including Francis Johnson, founder of Parallel Care Solutions; Vicki Rushton from Gerallt Evans Metalcraft; Andrea Knox, director of business law specialists Knox Commercial Solicitors, and Carolyn Parry, President of the CDI (Careers Development Institute).

Also presenting to more than 40 attendees on the day were Lorraine Hopkins, Manager for the Leading Business Growth programmes at Bangor University Business School, and Chris Owens, Managing Director at Alpine Travel.

The event was opened by Bronwen Raine, Managing Director of Antur Cymru Enterprise, based in Newcastle Emlyn.

She revealed how the organisation has helped tens of thousands of businesspeople in Wales over the last 45 years via platforms such as Business Wales and Big Ideas Wales.

“Everyone in this room today recognises the need to prioritise growth, not only to develop a vibrant Welsh economy but also, at an individual business level, to increase the sustainability of individual businesses in current conditions,” said Bronwen.

“This has become a greater challenge in the current fiscal and economic environment so it’s essential stakeholders unite and look at how we can work together to achieve this while sharing expertise.”

The summit also featured a special video message from Minister for Economy, Vaughan Gething MS, who said: “The Welsh Government is working towards creating a stronger, fairer, and greener Welsh economy to encourage innovation among businesses right across Wales.

“Entrepreneurship and innovation are key to growing the economy of Wales; through Business Wales we look to and support our micro businesses and SMEs, particularly those that are grounded in their local communities and investing in Wales long-term.

“By putting collaboration ahead of competition we will maximise fairness for all and try to eliminate inequality at every level of our society.”

He added: “Significant economic opportunities exist, as North Wales transitions to an integrated cross-border low-carbon economy. I hope you have a successful day and much more than that I hope we will all see real success across Wales, including the growth there in North Wales.”

Reinforcing those comments, Pryderi pointed to the “ecosystem” of talent and opportunity at M-SParc and across the region.

“We need to cooperate, which is why events like this are so important,” he said.

“We have a backbone of SMEs and small businesses that contribute so much to our economy, but we need to see a greater flow of private finance and investments and R&D funding to support innovation here, and a focus on skills, which we clearly feel very strongly about.

“It is a big challenge, trying to find skilled candidates to fill some of the jobs out there in North Wales, but if we come together, we have the ingredients to do it, and when we do it will be prove to be a massive boost to our economy.”

For more information, visit www.anturcymru.org.uk or follow @anturcymruwales on social media.

News

Sophie’s electric as PP C&A engineer wins major Engineering & Manufacturing Apprenticeship Award

A female electrical engineer, who has already delivered a £1m plus new product introduction, has been named as the Black Country’s best Engineering & Manufacturing apprentice last night.

PP Control & Automation’s Sophie Young, beat off competition from across the area to secure the Ladder for the Black Country accolade in front of 285 guests at Wolverhampton Grand Station and has already set her sights on inspiring more girls into industry.

The 19-year-old has always shown a keen interest in STEM subjects from a young age and joined the strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist 12 months ago on an Apprenticeship pathway that will see her attain qualifications from a HNC through to a degree.

She impressed judges with her rate of progression and how she is already completing projects that are delivering financial and operational performance to the Cheslyn Hay-based business, not to mention her willingness to act as an ambassador for women in engineering.

“It has been a great first twelve months in industry and this award has really topped it off nicely,” explained Sophie, who was also highly commended in the Overall Apprentice of the Year category.

“There were so many fantastic finalists on display that I was quite surprised to hear my name being announced. I’ll definitely use the recognition to continue with my studies and to also shout about how great a career in manufacturing can be.”

Within the first five months of her apprenticeship, Sophie was given the opportunity to take a project through from quotation level to completion.

This included supporting the New Product Introduction (NPI) process and working with the NPI team to eliminate faults and develop a product ready for production, carrying out inspection reports on first builds and bridging the product into its own dedicated production cell.

Supported throughout her learning by a Senior Electrical Engineer at PP C&A, she also created a full 3D assembly drawing pack, electrical schematics, and worked closely with all departments of the business to meet stringent deadlines.

She even volunteered to build the first iteration of the assembly to prove out her documentation, cutting out 1-hour of build time by identifying a more efficient method.

The assembly now takes 2.5hrs to produce, which has allowed 100 units to be manufactured in 2022, with 400 units scheduled for build in 2023, shipping both nationally and internationally.

Andy Whittaker, Engineering & Quality Director at PP Control & Automation, added his support: “Sophie has been a shining light since she joined and has developed so quickly, impressing everyone in the business with her passion, hard work, skill and eye for engineering.

“The Award is richly deserved and shows what you can achieve in a relatively short timeframe. I’m sure this is just the start of what will be an amazing career for one of our brightest young stars.

“Competitions like this highlight how important it is for companies to invest in young people and give them the opportunity to learn and grow in your business. It’s the only way we’re going to solve the very real skills shortage.”

The Ladder for the Black Country Apprenticeship Awards was organised by the Express & Star and headline sponsor City of Wolverhampton Council.

Sponsoring the Engineering & Manufacturing Award was voestalpine Metsec plc.

Apprenticeships, Awards, Midlands News, News

Apprenticeship stars recognised at eleventh In-Comm Training Awards

An advanced engineering & manufacturing apprentice from Telford was named as the region’s brightest vocational star last week.

Torus Measurement Systems’ James Morgan overcame competition from more than 100 apprentices across the West Midlands to secure the ‘Outstanding Learner of the Year’ title at this year’s annual In-Comm Training Awards.

More than 300 people packed into The Eastside Rooms in Birmingham to hear how the 24-year-old is working his way towards a degree by impressing on the shopfloor, helping deliver critical projects and, importantly, becoming a STEM ambassador that sees him go into schools to inspire the next generation.

The high-profile ceremony, which is backed by main sponsor the Engineering Technology Group (ETG), saw ‘girl power’ come to the fore again, with four out of the eight personal accolades won by females, illustrating how apprenticeships are increasingly for everyone.

Britney Biju (Collins Aerospace) won Engineering & Manufacturing Foundation – Telford, Jean Catchpowle (Gestamp) secured Quality & Continuous Improvement, whilst Emily Lander (M&A Doocey) and Tracy Reynolds (William King) were successful in the Business Support and Ambassador categories.

Companies were also recognised on the evening, with Billcar Precision Engineering winning the small employer award for the way it uses staff to develop young learners and Hoshizaki Europe taking the large employer accolade.

The latter has been a long-term supporter of vocational learning and has invested heavily in an apprentice scheme that spans all departments, including engineering, quality, manufacturing and business administration.

It also runs a scheme where apprentices are rewarded for their ideas on how to improve their role or the business.

Bekki Phillips, Chief Operating Officer at In-Comm Training, commented: “We are finally seeing the perceptions of apprenticeships change since Covid-19 and events like these are crucial to achieving that level of equality.

“Vocational learning shouldn’t be seen as the pathway you take if you don’t get good grades, that’s nonsense. We now have clear pathways in place where a learner can go all the way to a degree in less time than going to university, with the added benefits of hundreds of hours of real-life experience and zero debt.”

She went on to add: “Our finalists have demonstrated hard work, commitment, teamwork, innovation and, importantly, technical competences. They are already making a real difference to the companies they work for, and this is just the start.”

This was the eleventh year the In-Comm Training Awards have been held and gave nearly 50 finalists the opportunity to celebrate their achievements in front of their peers, mentors and employers.

Other winners included:

  • Christian Newey (IMI Norgren) – Engineering & Manufacturing Advanced at Aldridge
  • George Moore (Precision Technologies) – Engineering & Manufacturing Foundation at Aldridge
  • James Morgan (Torus Measurement Systems) – Engineering & Manufacturing Advanced at Telford
  • Oliver Eskriett (Brandauer) – Management & Leadership
  • Lewis Laidler (Hoshizaki Europe) – Most Improved Learner

The evening was also used to celebrate the life of Her Majesty the Queen, with guests marking the unrivalled service and dedication of Her Royal Highness.

Gareth Jones, Managing Director In-Comm Training, concluded: “The Awards have grown massively from when they first started and we want to them to continue to get bigger, as it’s a fantastic way of spreading the message about vocational learning and everything it has to offer.

“The apprentices rightly get the majority of the plaudits, but we shouldn’t forget the huge contribution and impact employers have on shaping the professionals and engineers of the future.”

The In-Comm Training Awards were made possible by headline sponsor the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) and other sponsors, including Aptem, Black Country Chamber of Commerce, Collins Aerospace, Crowe LLP, EAL Awards, FBC Manby Bowdler, In-Comm TMG, MyWorkwear and the West Midlands Apprentice Ambassador Network.

Apprenticeships, Midlands News, News, Training, Training & Apprenticeships, Training News

In-Comm Training lands major apprenticeship contract with automotive supplier

A leading independent training provider is celebrating winning its largest apprenticeship contract in years after signing a major deal with Lander Tubular Products.

In-Comm Training, which operates three state-of-the-art technical academies across the Black Country and Shropshire, has become the strategic training partner for the supplier of precision engineered metallic and plastic manipulated pipe assemblies for the automotive, commercial vehicle and off-highway sectors.

Forty Level 2 apprentices in Lean Manufacturing Operations will be recruited over the next six months in a bid to develop a future talent pool that can help the manufacturer meet a rapidly growing order book.

The new relationship will cover all recruitment and selection, advice on tapping into funding, induction process and delivery of training, with In-Comm trainers and assessors set to be permanently based at Lander Tubular Products’ internal academy at its Woodgate Business Park factory in Birmingham.

“This is a major milestone for our business, and we’re delighted that another high-profile industrial specialist has chosen to adopt our employer-led approach to apprenticeships and training in general,” explained Paul Hodgetts, Business Development Manager at In-Comm Training.

“The tender process was over a three-month period, involved six providers and numerous visits to each other’s locations. We were able to listen, understand exactly what the firm needed and then put together a flexible learning package that obviously appealed to the management team here.”

He continued: “Everything kicks off in September with a cohort of 15, then this is followed a month later with 10 more apprentices and the final 15 need to be in place by December. So, the message for young people and mature learners looking for a career change is simple – there’s the potential for high quality jobs with a world class automotive supplier, get in touch!”
With over 140 year’s history, Lander Tubular Products is a leading manufacturer of precision engineered metallic and plastic manipulated tubular products for the automotive, off-highway, and industrial sectors.

The company, which has three manufacturing sites in the UK and a further two production facilities in the USA, has a long history of delivering award-winning apprenticeship programmes.

Its product range covers multiple applications for the transfer of fluids or air, and tubular structural products for a broad range of major OEM and tier one customers.

Growing its own staff has always been a priority and this new contract marks the next phase of its workforce development, with pathways being created so that individuals can work all the way towards Technical Apprenticeships, a Degree in Engineering and Manufacturing and upskilling opportunities in continuous improvement, quality and leadership & management.

Anita Davenport-Brooks, Group HR Manager, added her support: “We’ve known about In-Comm for some time and were really impressed with the way they took the time to listen and tailor the approach to suit exactly what we need.

“The course will give every apprentice core manufacturing skills, as well as developing softer ones and encouraging the right behaviours to fit our culture. All the training will be completed at our factory, which will give us great flexibility when balancing shopfloor demand.

“I’m also keen to look at how we can work together to shape new Apprenticeship qualifications that are currently missing in industry. One example, is early discussions about creating a Level 3 Technical Operator course that could be the next step for our apprentices.”

She concluded: “Vocational learning is so important for us and, next year, the plan is to recruit up to 100 apprentices. Working with In-Comm Training will save over £200,000 on recruitment costs alone in 2022 and that does not take into account the bottom line benefits our learners will deliver to our three businesses across the Midlands.

“Several of our senior team and middle managers all started with an apprenticeship and are now critical to our future success.”

Lander Tubular Products, which was recently named as the number one company in the Top 50 SME Apprentice Employers Rankings by the National Apprenticeship Service, will also tap into other services offered by In-Comm Training.

This includes upskilling courses, health and safety consultancy and lobbying, with Anita already taking her place on the training provider’s new Skills Steering Group.

Human Resources, News

Younger generation say they have skills to succeed, but almost 90% worry that employers don’t recognise their potential, survey reveals

  • 87% of 16-24 year olds believe they have essential digital skills
  • Yet optimism and ability not matched by opportunity – 87% also believe employers focus on experience over potential, is holding them back

London, UK; 15 July, 2022: As the world marks World Youth Skills Day on Friday 15th July, a survey of 500 16-24 year olds revealed that 87% are optimistic about their ability to find a new role, with 4 in 5 declaring they feel prepared with the essential and digital/IT skills needed for existing and future job roles.

However, new research from Arctic Shores, the psychometric assessment pioneer, also reveals the same percentage (87%) believe employers focus too much on past experience and not enough on potential when hiring.

Despite their optimism, 3 in 4 young people felt that a lack of relevant experience or confidence in having relevant skills has held them back from getting a new job.

Furthermore, nearly half (48%) of all those surveyed have dropped out of a recruitment process even when they were still keen on the job, with lack of fairness (27%) the most common reason for doing so.

Half of those surveyed don’t believe or don’t know if they have enough experience on their CV to get their dream job, with 43% believing the CV to be an outdated hiring method. When asked what employers should determine their ‘potential’ based on in the recruitment process, ‘personality’ (39%) was most popular. This was as opposed to academic results, application forms and ability to pass tests.

When looking for a job, over half (54%) of all respondents want training and development the most from their employer, as opposed to remote working (16%).

Ed Halliday, Direction of Operations at futureproof, the technology training company, commented: “At futureproof, we see that many candidates are optimistic about getting some kind of job post-graduation. However, despite the volume of available positions, this is not the case with tech roles. Many candidates are conscious that they need additional extra training to become job-ready – even if they have gone through a tech-related degree.”

Wider concerns

As the country grapples with rising prices and supply shortages, it’s unsurprising that 72% of young people have concerns about the cost of living crisis, with 37% likely to change jobs as a result. However, with the employment process focusing on experience alone, it will be challenging for younger people to get into higher paying roles. More worryingly, over a fifth (21%) feel hopeless for the future.

Robert Newry, CEO of Arctic Shores, added: “As we look to the future world of work, sadly there is a huge mismatch between young people’s optimism in finding a new role and the hiring processes that are currently in place.

“The results reaffirm the urgent need to rethink the hiring process and redefine what employers should look for in candidates; otherwise the social mobility gap between those lucky enough to have specific skills and those that don’t will widen. Why are companies willing to pay ever increasing recruitment fees and inflated salaries for experience rather than growing talent? As roles and skills evolve with digitisation, recruitment needs to follow suit. Scrapping the CV and hiring for potential will address the mismatch and restore the optimism in our younger digital generation.”

News

Report shows appetite for Apprenticeships remains strong, but inflation a worry for employers looking to attract and retain staff

Investment in apprenticeships has remained resilient in the face of the pandemic according to a new report released today.

In-Comm Training’s 3rd annual Training Barometer revealed that 67% of companies had taken on apprentices during the last twelve months, whilst a staggering 97% kept all their learners on despite the pressures of Covid-19.

The confidence extends into the future, with more than two thirds of businesses (70%) committing to taking on an apprentice over the next year (up from 47% in 2021), with 69% giving employees the opportunity to progress learning all the way to an HNC or Degree.

There were, however, some concerns in the report, which featured 105 companies from aerospace, automotive, distribution, general engineering and professional services.

The impact of the pandemic had resulted in nearly a third of companies cutting back on their training spend and barriers to embarking down the vocational route continue to be dominated by a lack of in-house infrastructure and understanding of all the different apprenticeship standards currently out there.

“These results show a massive shift change from last year with companies reaffirming their commitment to investing in vocational learning, underlining the major strides apprenticeships have made over the last few years and the value management teams place in them,” explained Gareth Jones, Managing Director of In-Comm Training.

“Despite all of the pressures, the turmoil and the restrictions, bosses believed it was vital to retain existing learners and, importantly, continue to invest in new ones as they didn’t want to be hit with a skills gap when the recovery started.”

He continued: “This is none more pertinent than in engineering, where there is a lack of talent and the people that are out there are demanding extortionate wages. Growing your own is the only sustainable way of getting around this situation and those that held their nerve during the pandemic have come out of it better.

“Looking at the bigger picture, the key barrier for training is releasing staff from core activities (49%) as many of them were focused on continuous improvement activities during the downturn, in order to improve processes/quality, implement automation and reduce waste.

“The second biggest challenge was identifying the right course for what the business needs (19%), proving that, as a sector, we need to make things simpler.”

The In-Comm Training Barometer also asked respondents about why they invest in apprenticeships, with close to two thirds of companies citing a desire to develop future talent as their primary objective.

This was followed by ‘fulfilling a skills gap’ and ‘retaining skills within a business’, although reskilling was valued by just 1% of companies, a surprising score when you consider the current skills crisis and industry desperately competing for a shrinking labour pool.

Growing cost of inflation is firmly on the mind of many management teams, with 58% citing it as a significant barrier to attracting and retaining staff, an issue that could potentially get worse before it gets better with employees also looking for flexible working patterns and training and development.

The final major concern employers have is a ‘skills drain’ that comes from older workers retiring. Here 70% of businesses are concerned about the impact on staff and their ability to meet the requirements of their customers.

Gareth continued: “Whilst the overwhelming feeling is one of optimism, you can’t escape the very real economic and societal challenges that are having an impact on decisions around training and vocational learning.

“The biggest takeaway from this report is how firms are seeing apprenticeships in more than their traditional guise and using them to develop Engineering, Leadership & Management, Continuous Improvement and Health & Safety professionals. I’d like to think we could build on this as a way of increasing multi-skilling throughout organisations, retraining people in new technologies and halting the skills drain.”

News

Industrial supplier unveils post-pandemic growth plans at Skills Olympics

A PROMINENT industrial supplier unveiled plans for post-pandemic growth at a popular Skills Olympics.

Organised by GE Tools in partnership with Coleg Llandrillo Rhyl, more than 60 students competed in myriad disciplines including Vehicle Body Repair (VBR), Hair and Beauty, Health and Social Care, Services and Repair, and Carpentry.

The event was a huge success and welcomed leading names in the trade, engineering, construction, automotive, employment and training sectors for community activities and demonstrations; RWE Renewables, Read Construction, North Wales Police, Creating Enterprise, Makita, Job Centre Plus, Draper, Globus, Rockfall, Stahlwille, Gedore, the Armed Forces, Woody’s Lodge and the CITB were among those in attendance.

Celebrating 34 years in business, Deeside and Rhyl-based GE Tools had a strong start to 2022, welcoming three new members of staff ahead of further recruitment this summer.

One of the largest independent distributors of tools, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), hygiene products and personalised workwear in the region, they plan to continue supporting events that inspire the next generation of trades and thanked everyone for their contribution to the day.

Managing Director Chris Owen said: “The learners were fantastic and showed a great level of skill and ability.

“The feedback was very positive, it was great to have so many businesses and organisations from different industries, demonstrating the career opportunities out there for the students.

“We thank them for their support and the college for its commitment to the next generation of workers in this arena. The talent on show gives us confidence that the future of the trade sector is in safe hands.”

He added: “GE Tools is all about giving back, to our customers, partners, and the community, so we will continue to help organise events like this, providing a platform for young men and women to shine in their chosen fields.

“As a business we have taken on three new staff and will look to recruit another four in the next year at Deeside and Rhyl, which demonstrates our commitment to providing high-quality employment opportunities in North Wales.”

“We’re also delighted to announce GE Tools is now an accredited Living Wage Employer, which means every member of our team will earn a real Living Wage from day one.”

The Skills Olympics were hosted by Coleg Llandrillo’s Cefndy Road campus, which includes the multi-million pound Centre for Automotive Technology and a dedicated sixth form hub.

Salah Berdouk, Assistant Principal for Computing and Creative Industries, Construction and Engineering, congratulated the medallists and those taking part on the day.

“Our learners rose to the challenge and gave their very best to put into practice everything they have learnt this year,” he said.

“This time, not only Engineering and Construction took part but other areas of the campus including students in Hair and Beauty, Health and Social Care and Public Services.

“The learners were so pleased and felt empowered they can achieve anything they want if they work at it. The generous prizes from partners like GE Tools and Howdens made all the difference.”

Salah added: “This was the perfect example of industry doing everything it can to inspire young people from Rhyl and Denbighshire.

“The event was made even more beneficial to the community as so many companies and organisations were there, and local school pupils – well done, everyone.”

For more information on GE Tools, visit www.getools.co.uk or contact sales@getools.co.uk.

Alternatively, call 01244 836968 and follow them on social media at @getools.

NOTES:

Visit www.gllm.ac.uk for the latest news and information from Grwp Llandrillo Menai.

More information on the Living Wage can be found by visiting www.livingwage.wales.