Three-Year Skills Plan to Deliver World-Class Workforce in the Cogent Sector
24 Oct 2008
A new £50m three-year agreement between Government and the Cogent Science-based industries, to help beat skills shortages and build a world-class workforce was announced by Skills Minister the Rt Hon John Denham MP, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), today.
The deal, agreed by DIUS, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Cogent SSC, the Sector Skills Council for the chemicals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries, will help to deliver more highly skilled and qualified workers in a sector requiring 24,000 process operatives in the next five years.
A particular concern in the sector is
that Cogent research shows that the current inflow of non-graduates (entry via
apprenticeships and vocational qualifications) is insufficient to meet
replacement demand in core processing and technician roles. This deficit will
increase significantly in the five-year period to 2017, which coincides with
the lowest point in 16-18 year-olds in the population. A focus on upskilling
and re-skilling the current workforce is a therefore a strategic priority.
Through the
sector compact, Cogent will focus the support and funding available through
Train to Gain to
take action against the priorities set out in the industry’s Sector Skills
Agreement, including meeting challenging targets for training new entrants and
qualifying existing workers.
The
agreement introduCes significant flexibilities into the LSC’s Train to Gain funding system to
encourage more employers to take advantage of funding for upskilling.
It
is aimed at the specific skills needs of the science-using Cogent Sector and a
range of value-adding qualifications. Importantly, Cogent’s partners, The
National Skills Academies for Nuclear and Process Industries, will also work
with individual employers and the Train to Gain Skills Brokers to assess their
needs and identify support through Train to Gain.
In
addition, the funding agreement will support more employers to make the Cogent
Skills Pledge, a nationally recognised commitment to help employees gain new
skills at work. It builds on the Government’s Skills Pledge and shows a
company’s readiness to invest in people and support the drive for increased
skills and qualification levels.
The
agreement also commits DIUS, the LSC and Cogent to:
Work in partnership with Train to Gain skills brokers and the
National Apprenticeship Service
Develop innovative ideas for working with small and large employers
to help meet their specific skills needs, using funding available through
Train to Gain
The move follows John Denham’s consultation on a new
right to time to train for employees, an announcement that small and
medium-sized business will be the focus of £350m of Government funds to elp
them train their staff, and a renewed commitment to ensure the skills
system delivers appropriately trained people for industries employing the
workforce of the future.
Skills
Secretary John Denham said:
"The
Government values the important strategic contribution the chemical,
pharmaceutical, nuclear and petroleum industries makes to our national life,
and is committed to working closely with the sector to help it attract, train
and retain quality staff. We must support businesses to continue investing in
skills during the economic downturn as we know that companies that carry on
investing in training their staff do better when the economy starts to pick up
again. This agreement with Cogent will ensure that employers have access
to flexible, world-class training tailored to the specific needs of their
business, delivered when and where they need it."
Cogent CEO Joanna
Woolf said:
“This plan is a real boost to the
Cogent Sector where higher level skills are a critical success factor in making
business more competitive. Cogent
research suggests around 120,000 people in the Cogent Sector would benefit from
level 2 qualifications and a further 50,000 from level 3 qualifications - so
there’s tremendous potential to set many more people on the road to continuous
learning.”
Jean
Llewellyn, Chief Executive of the National Skills Academy
for Nuclear said:
“This Compact together with the
Skills Pledge represents an important part of the sector’s drive to raise skill
levels and ensure a sustainable future for all. The nuclear industry needs to
attract new entrants and is also committed to offering employees a wide range
of opportunities together with relevant training and learning. This agreement
will support their ongoing efforts as well as work to ensure complete
confidence in the training offered.”
Philip Jones, Chief Executive of the
National Skills Academy
Process Industries added:
“Employers in the Process Industries
have long recognised the need to offer their employees up-to-date and high
quality training and the Sector Compact will facilitate this upskilling agenda
both through funding support and through the further strengthening of our
network of quality assured providers. Importantly it will ensure that the
funded training is delivered locally in a way that best suits employers.”
Government
investment in Train to Gain will rise to over £1 billion by 2010-11, supporting
over 800,000 learners to improve their skills and gain new qualifications.
Mark
Haysom, Chief Executive, the Learning and Skills Council commented:
“Now
more than ever training is essential if companies are to weather the current
economic climate. Through this new partnership with Cogent, we will be able to
help even more employers get the advice and training to address critical skills
needs in Cogents sectors through Train to Gain, which helps support businesses
in tougher economic times.”
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