The Government has said that it is committed to tackling the consistently low levels of participation in education after age 16 and to meet the demands of a modern economy by raising the skills of young people entering the workforce. Diplomas are critical to this meeting this challenge.

Diploma Development Partnerships (DDPs) are the vehicle through which the content of each diploma will be generated, consulted upon and agreed. 

Cogent is currently progressing the new Engineering DDP (EDDP), along with lead SSC SEMTA, the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing technologies. As part of this project, both SSCs will form an employer consultation body to ensure industry input into shaping the new qualification.  Other member stakeholders include:

• Professional bodies where relevant
• Awarding bodies
• Higher education providers
• Colleges and schools, particularly those with Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) status, specialist schools and relevant 14-19 pathfinder institutions.

Dawn Allen is Cogent’s newly appointed Development Manager for Diplomas and she will be managing Cogent’s involvement in the process.

Cogent CEO Joanna Woolf said: “We see this is a real opportunity for employers to get involved in education. We also believe that this initiative will help Cogent and the companies in our sector to increase the attractiveness of careers in our industries. It will show young people the choices that are on offer and means that they can become both academically and vocationally competent.”

The White Paper outlines a system of diplomas to cover vocational areas in what has been regarded as the biggest change to 14-19 education in two decades. The Government and QCA have set out a timetable for development which will lead to a ‘national entitlement’ to diplomas for young people by 2015.

Joanna Woolf added: “We welcome this new approach to high quality vocational education including greater links with employers through work experience and the strengthened vocational pathway for 14-19 year olds.

“We will be working with SEMTA and our partners in industry and education to develop an Engineering Diploma that responds to and meets employers needs and provides young people with an education that leads to well-designed and rewarding jobs.

She added: “These reforms place vocational education at heart of the education system and we believe that they will break down the old-fashioned barriers that have existed between “vocational” and “academic” routes.

“ We also believe that these diplomas will improve career prospects of young people, and the Engineering Diploma will encourage them to pursue one of the many technical professions that underpin our science and technology-based industries.”

Cogent is developing national occupational standards that create the basis for qualifications across its footprint. It is also working closely with employers on new developments in skills and education including national skills academies and specialised diplomas. All of this is underpinned by rigorous quality assurance.

Cogent recently worked in partnership with Skills For Logistics to develop a new Common Induction Standard for Tanker Drivers responsible for the transportation of petroleum products including unleaded petroleum, diesel, gas oil, aviation turbine kerosene (ATK), heavy fuels (black oils), bitumens and lubricants.

This critical group of employees within the distribution sector of the  downstream industry, had previously relied on in-house training put in place by their employers. While this training reflected downstream employers’ highly responsible approach to health and safety, it was not based upon any national standards - nor was it consistent across the sector.

The system was somewhat fragmented among the different companies, was subject to varying principles and was not easily transferable between employers and locations. This was leading to inefficient duplication and in some cases a lack of focus on some key safety critical issues.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTi), then operating under the stewardship of Secretary of State Patricia Hewitt, was particularly keen to see a step-change in safety in petroleum transportation and so convened a meeting of the key stakeholders including employer groups, Trade Unions and the two SSCs with responsibility for skills development across this employee group.  Cogent SSC took the lead on the project and a Steering Group to progress the standard development was set up.

The result of this collaborative action is a new Common Induction Standard, developed by Cogent in partnership with the members of the Steering Group.  This new framework can be adapted to suit large and small hauliers and includes three key stages:

•  Loading operations
• Transportation of petroleum products
• Offloading operations      

Each of these stages builds on the training the driver receives at the previous stage and the emphasis is on safety awareness and the need for personal responsibility for the driver’s own safety and that of other people working alongside him/her.

Supervisor commitment is key and the training is based on practical and formal assessment. Managers take on the responsibility to train members of their team.

Tanker drivers will receive a certificate which will be transferable and can form part of their CV, so that when they change jobs they can highlight achievement of this safety critical standard.

Cogent Downstream Skills Adviser, Walter Williamson, who was instrumental in drafting the standard said: “There is now potential to extend this standard across the Cogent sector footprint as transportation of hazardous and supply chain critical materials is a key activity for many employers, particularly in the chemical and polymer sectors.”

Alan Johnson, the recently appointed Secretary of State for Trade and Industry said: “I am particularly pleased that the industry has come together to produce such an important standard and I look forward to this excellent cooperation continuing into the future.”

Malcolm Webb, chief executive of the industry trade body,said, "The Chancellor called for additional investment in oil production.  UK oil and gas producers are already doing just that.  Exploration of the UK continental shelf for new fields is up this year as is the number of new production wells drilled to date.  The industry invested over £8 billion last year.  This year, we expect that figure to rise by as much as 25 percent to £10 billion.

"The industry's efforts to stem the rate of UK production decline are paying off and current investment plans will see the rate halved to 7 percent per annum.  This means we expect UK fields to be producing for decades to come, and in 2020 should still be meeting 65 percent of all our oil needs and a quarter of our gas needs. 

"If we don't produce it, we will have to import it.  Producing our own oil and gas saves this country £30 billion on its balance of trade and will generate more than £10 billion in tax for the Treasury, more than double the amount paid last year.  Not only does it provide a secure source of primary energy, but is also supports over a quarter of a million jobs across the UK.

"This industry has invested a total of over £330 billion since the first exploration licences were issued more than 40 years ago.  It has recovered 34 billion barrels of oil and gas from Britain's often hostile offshore environment, risking not one penny of taxpayers' money but, on the contrary, earning this country more than £200 billion in tax revenues in total.  Furthermore, UK gas fields have supported the expansion of direct gas usage and gas fired power stations in the UK which have been the major contributor to the UK meeting its Kyoto targets.

"The next chapter in the industry's history is now being developed on the already considerable presence of UK expertise, goods and services in the world energy market, which can continue to grow and create wealth for many decades yet to come.  

"We should therefore be doing everything possible to build on and sustain one of the UK's most remarkable post-war industrial success stories.  The country's reliance on oil and gas is growing, and government forecasts suggest that by 2020, 85 percent of our primary energy needs will be met by these resources. 

"Yet I fear that we are still in danger of overlooking the significance of this great UK industry, which must not be put at risk from poor regulation, escalating costs and further tax hits.  These would undermine investor confidence and erode international competitiveness, the very factors that will determine how long we can continue to produce economically from the North Sea. 

"Oil companies sustaining high levels of investment in production is only one side of the coin.  The other side is for government policy makers to work with industry to create the right business climate that will support UK oil and gas production in the long term."

The University of Manchester has announced it is to launch a new MSc in Nuclear Science and Technology, in partnership with the Nuclear Technology Education Consortium (NTEC). The postgraduate programme is designed to assist in addressing the current skills shortfall facing the UK's nuclear industry.

Alastair Walsh Atkins, NTEC Coordination Centre Manager, said:"NTEC, through this MSc, aims to address this shortfall by providing an industry-recognised programme which will equip individuals with the educational background required to help manage the UK's nuclear decommissioning programme safely and economically as well as supporting any forthcoming new reactor build programmes." 

NTEC is a consortium of UK universities, which represents more than 90% of the UK's nuclear postgraduate teaching expertise. The programme will be coordinated by the Dalton Nuclear Institute, part of the University of Manchester.

The programme, which is offered on a 1 year (full-time) and 3 year (part-time) basis, has been specifically designed to address the UK's projected nuclear skills requirements both in decommissioning, clean-up and in reactor technology. Fusion and nuclear medical technology will also be incorporated into the programme's broad portfolio of subjects.

Alastair Walsh Atkins said: "Since the 1980's, public investment in nuclear research has dropped by more than 95% and in industry the skill base has fragmented due to successive privatisations and reorganisations. Coupled with the decline in university nuclear courses in the UK at undergraduate level, the majority of people entering the industry have no nuclear-specific academic qualifications.

"NTEC, through this MSc, aims to address this shortfall by providing an industry-recognised programme which will equip individuals with the educational background required to help manage the UK's nuclear decommissioning programme safely and economically as well as supporting any forthcoming new reactor build programmes."

The course structure and syllabus have been established following extensive consultations with the UK nuclear sector, including industry, regulators, MoD, NDA, Government Departments and the Cogent Skills Council. Initial funding has been provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Three streams - Decommissioning, Environment and Safety, Nuclear Technology - will cover subjects ranging from waste treatment and disposal to risk management and reactor design.

Twenty-three students have registered for the MSc many of whom are sponsored by companies like Rolls Royce, AMEC, RWE Nukem and AWE.

It is being planned that NTEC will build educational links with universities and institutions abroad, providing the opportunity for UK students to study abroad as part of their qualification.

In a Groundbreaking ceremony performed jointly with Redcar MP Vera Baird, Mr Huntsman and Ms Baird took control of a mechanical digger to excavate the first soil at the 35-acre site.

And he heralded the formal start of building as a “profoundly significant step forward for both Huntsman and the chemical industry in the North East.”

Mr Huntsman told assembled guests and Company employees that the £200 million Polyethylene project, which attracted a Government grant of £16.5 million, was vitally important to the future of Huntsman’s operations on Teesside.

“Teesside is one of the most important of our global locations and we are delighted to enhance our presence here with this large, world class polyethylene facility, he said.  “It is good news for Huntsman, for the economy of the NorthEast and for the UK as a whole.  We have worked hard to make it a reality and the faith and confidence of the UK Government has been very important to the process.”

His sentiments were echoed by Vera Baird, who commented:  “It is immensely important to the country that we maintain a strong manufacturing sector and I’m sure this project will encourage others that both the Tees Valley and the UK are great places to invest for the future.
 
“This is a very significant project that will have a major positive impact on the chemical industry and the economy of the UK both locally and nationally,” she added.

Piling and ground preparation work will start on site shortly and construction of the 400,000 tonnes a year polyethylene facility will be spread over two years, with completion due in the fourth quarter of 2007. The impact of the new project on jobs - both locally, regionally and nationally - will be very substantial.  When operational, the new plant will employ some 120 permanent staff and will help underpin around 750 Huntsman and contractor jobs at the North Tees and Wilton complexes.  

In addition, approximately 700 jobs will be created during the construction phase of the project. It is estimated this will also help to generate or underpin a further 1,000 indirect jobs in the Tees Valley and around 900 indirect jobs nationally. 

It is also estimated that the ‘multiplier’ or ‘knock-on’ effect of between five and 10 local and national jobs being generated by each new permanent job, will lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs - perhaps as many as 1,500 - 1,600.  In total, the project could create or secure several thousand jobs throughout the UK.

Margaret Fay, Chairman of One NorthEast said: “Today’s ground breaking ceremony is not only the start of a new world scale polyethylene plant but very much symbolizes the future aspirations of the process industries in the North East.
 
“The chemicals and process industry sector is one of this region's most successful and important in terms of growth, investment, international trade, skilled workers and research and development. It is this well-deserved status that has helped attract such a great number of leading names like Huntsman to the North East.

“It is for that reason that One NorthEast is providing on-going support to the sector. Through the Northern Way Growth fund, we are backing a range of projects totalling some £8m to develop new innovations that will bring commercial benefits across the entire sector. One NorthEast has also recently established the first process industry cluster organisation, NEPIC, that aims to promote joint working, sharing of best practice and collaboration and Huntsman is a key member of this group.

“I am delighted that Huntsman is making such an important commitment to the process industry sector, to the Tees Valley and indeed to the wider region,” she added.

Polyethylene is a plastic widely used in sheet form for the protection and packaging of everyday articles and foods and is also used extensively to make bottles and containers. It is manufactured in a high pressure process, using ethylene which is the main product of Huntsman’s Cracker facility at Wilton. The product from the Polyethylene plant will be an inert, safe “chip” transported in bags and bulk.

Cogent CEO, Joanna Woolf said at the event: “We are delighted to be supporting the BPF dinner this year. Organisations like the BPF are a powerful voice for their members and their industry, and they also provide an effective and trusted network for business partners. We hope that BPF members will work even more closely with Cogent to make a lasting and beneficial impact on the UK’s education and training framework.”

This year marks the BPF’s 72nd year. The Annual Dinner featured a State of the Industry address from the BPF President, Jim Jeffries, and this year’s After Dinner speaker was Sir Howard Davies. Sir Howard is currently Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

 “We are pleased to be assisting Cogent in getting the message across to Industry.  The Dinner tends to be a bit of a who’s who of the plastics industry and Cogent’s sponsorship underpins the dedication that the organisation is showing to getting the training message to our industry”, said Peter Davis, Director General of the British Plastics Federation.

Brian Manning Cogent Polymer Skills Adviser added, “It is vital that the industry as a whole and BPF members in particular use the SSA process to articulate the training and education barriers that may exist and which are preventing the industry from improving its competitiveness and productivity.

“We see the BPF Dinner as one of the key networking events on the plastics industry calendar and were delighted to use the Dinner as an opportunity to highlight how Cogent can support businesses from the UK plastics sector.”

• identification of the key roles
• achieving emergency response competence for all personnel
• identifying personnel for specialist competence emergency response roles
• an integrated approach to testing of the preparedness of the emergency response
• the construct and contents of emergency response standards
• training provision, training - assurance and approval
• the Cogent Central Register, and worldwide recognition.

Click here to see the Emergency Response Management Guidance

The vast majority of these people received their training entirely free.

Through their local Learning Skills Council funding, NCC member colleges can offer a broad portfolio of accredited programme titles - from Health and Safety to Performing Manufacturing Operations -  to the learner at absolutely no cost. 

NCC courses are delivered through Distance Learning, a method which allows a flexible approach for both student and employer, ensuring minimum workplace disruption whilst tailoring time and support to a candidate’s individual needs.

The NCC offers a monthly Funding Alert via e-mail, detailing all of the latest funding available and how employers can access it.

To ensure you don’t miss out. Click on www.ncc.ac.uk and sign up to receive Funding Alerts.

Benefits of Attending:
Specially designed for the oil and gas industry, this seminar explains and offers advice for the safe and successful design of work equipment satisfying PUWER and includes examples of new and modified equipment. Contractors and suppliers of equipment to the oil and gas industry will benefit from engineering personnel, particularly designers, attending to increase their knowledge of PUWER and thus reducing man-hours to achieve compliance.

Who Should Attend?
Operators, Contractors, Suppliers of equipment packages, Designers, Project Managers, Inspectors and HSE personnel. The reduced IMechE member rate is also available to members of the following bodies: Cogent, Society of Petroleum Engineers

VENUE
The seminar will be held at
Aker Kvaerner Offshore Partner Ltd
Craigievar Building
Howe Moss Avenue
Kirkhill Industrial Estate
Dyce
Aberdeen AB21 0GP

ACCOMMODATION
The Corporate Team in association with the IMechE has arranged special discounted rates at local hotels for delegates. A list of hotels will be forwarded to delegates upon receipt of their registration and payment. Alternatively please contact the Corporate Team directly and quote ID number 8488.
Tel: 0845 6044060
Registration enquiries:
Tina Churcher
Tel: 020 7973 1258

Email: [email protected]

stop press....

The EEF manufacturers' body argues in a report on energy published on 24 October that the government has to replace an ageing fleet of nuclear stations to meet its targets on the environment, as well as ensuring security of supply. "We are pro-nuclear because we don't think the figures will add up without it,"  said Martin Temple, EEF director-general.

The British Chambers of Commerce has also hardened its stance. David Frost, BCC director-general, argued the government could not afford to maintain its ambivalent stance on nuclear power in next year's review of energy policy. "They can't duck it," he said. "If they do, where's the [clean] energy going to come from? Are we going to have the UK turned into one giant wind farm?"

photo: courtesy of UKAEA

Simon Marsh, Director of Employment Relations at CIA said: "Employers and trade unions are working together on these critical issues for the benefit of the whole of the chemical sector, including those vital sectors allied to it and society at large. A joint commitment to the sustainable production and use of chemicals is an important platform on which to manage the present and build for the future. 

“This agenda does not belong just to the employers but also to our workforce, the trade unions and other stakeholders. Our new statement calls for action that will deliver the skills we need for a 21st century chemicals industry. It is the result of a great deal of hard work by trade unions and employers in the chemicals sector and I pay tribute to all those who have participated in the agreement". 

The Chemical Industries Association (CIA) and trade unions representing the sector have produced a joint statement addressing all the issues connected to skills in the industry. The wide-ranging statement covers the government's skills strategy - a report looking at future skill needs in the industry, along with views on science and chemistry education, and sustainable development.

Simon Marsh, Director of Employment Relations at CIA said: "Employers and trade unions are working together on these critical issues for the benefit of the whole of the chemical sector, including those vital sectors allied to it and society at large. A joint commitment to the sustainable production and use of chemicals is an important platform on which to manage the present and build for the future.

“This agenda does not belong just to the employers but also to our workforce, the trade unions and other stakeholders. Our new statement calls for action that will deliver the skills we need for a 21st century chemicals industry. It is the result of a great deal of hard work by trade unions and employers in the chemicals sector and I pay tribute to all those who have participated in the agreement".

The UK Chemical Industries Association (CIA) is the premier trade/employers’ organisation in the UK chemical industry. It has a membership of 150 companies, many of which are international, operating from over 200 sites in the UK.

The UK Chemical Industries Association (CIA) is the premier trade/employers’ organisation in the UK chemical industry. It has a membership of 150 companies, many of which are international, operating from over 200 sites in the UK.