Investing in people: How the industry can address the skills shortage
Author : Richard Allen, general manager at voestalpine Metsec plc
19 December 2017
The skills shortage in the UK is well-documented, with the shortage most acute in the engineering and manufacturing sector. Too few trainees are entering the industry from education and, with an ageing workforce nationally, the growth of the sectors are at risk of being stunted by a chronic lack of skills.
Engineering industry
Figures show that nearly 20 percent of total UK employment is within an engineering enterprise, with 5.7 million people working in the industry, meaning there are more vacancies than ever that need to be filled, in fact, the future forecast is that more than a quarter of a million people need to enter the workforce per year up to 2024 to keep up with demand. As there is a limited pool of talent available, engineering and manufacturing firms need to address the shortage themselves.
Whilst many companies have looked overseas to source workers in order to combat this issue, the shortage could be exacerbated by Brexit, meaning detailed and well thought-out training and apprenticeship have never been more important.
Apprentices
Metsec invests time and resource into training both new and existing staff to ensure that it meets needs. It recognises the significant contribution that can be made by a well-trained and proficient workforce and also the benefits gained by the individual from enhanced confidence in their own ability to perform well within the specific job role. Training and development of all employees is therefore pivotal to the success of the business and of key importance to Metsec. Running a comprehensive apprenticeship programme at its Black Country headquarters, it’s employed and trained more than 50 apprentices since setting up the scheme back in 1998. The company still remains one of the few engineering companies to run an in-house scheme.
Metsec has a business goal to derive 20 percent of its workforce from ‘home grown’, fully trained apprentices by 2020. Aligned to its strategic growth plan, the apprentice scheme sets out a six-year path for new recruits from the age of 16 upwards. More recently, it’s broadened the scheme to include more advanced apprentices, providing a more substantial cross-section and a variety of training levels.
This sustained commitment to high quality training and promotion of apprenticeships gives the sector not only a greater chance of keeping up with demand, but a more positive reputation for investing in its people.
Richard Allen, general manager at voestalpine Metsec plc
The strength of an apprentice pool within a company means that every year, talented members of the scheme are ready to progress to the next level as fully-fledged staff members and become core members of the workforce, having a real influence on shaping the future of the company and keeping a steady stream of skilled staff within the business. Metsec have numerous managers and directors that started their careers as apprentices, and this is something the company is incredibly proud of. This opportunity for progression attracts young apprentices to the business as they can see a potential career path in front of them.
Continuous learning
However, investment does not begin and end with apprentices. Throughout their careers at Metsec, all employees are encouraged to flag up areas where they want to hone their skills. Metsec then research how best to meet their training needs and offer a range of appropriate courses from on the job training through to degree courses.
Training doesn’t always have to be formal. Encouraging experienced staff to take the time to train up more junior members of staff ensures that valuable skills are passed on and kept in the sector. This passing on of skills from more experienced members of the workforce to those at entry level is key to success. Conversely, skills in technology and automation from younger generations can be communicated to existing staff to ensure that businesses are offering relevant and desired solutions to the customer base.
Critical to the success of cross-training is the careful planning and monitoring of the ongoing knowledge transfer by management, with a strong focus on the fact that this culture of continuous learning will be paramount to the success and evolution of manufacturing and engineering firms of the future.
With both innovation and progression being fundamentals at the core of the engineering industry, this continued investment in the future is just one element that allows Metsec to stay at the forefront of the cold roll-forming sector, and could be crucial factor for the sector in bridging the skills gap.
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