Partner Article

Positive outlook for manufacturing

Lynn Tomkins UK Operations Director of Semta, Sector Skills Council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies looks at the positive signs for manufacturing.

While the latest ONS figures reveal an anticipated drop in GDP and a fall in manufacturing output for the second quarter of 2012, there are positive signs for the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector.

Looking ahead, the EEF is predicting an improvement for the manufacturing sector in the second half of the year and into 2013, with some modest growth in GDP.

Crucially many firms in our sector are taking a proactive approach to the current economic challenges. Larger companies like Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, and Airbus, and supply chain companies like Nifco and Westley Engineering, making new UK investments. And, according to the latest Manufacturing Advisory Service National Barometer over half the manufacturing SMEs in England had seen turnover rise and 60% expected further growth by the end of the year.

Companies like Siemens, Case New Holland and Lindhurst Engineering are investing in workforce development and, with Semta, taking ownership of the skills agenda. Semta has also generated a 25% rise in the number of advanced and higher level apprenticeships in the last year.

Employers’ proactive commitment to develop staff is a real sign of industry confidence in the face of economic and skills challenges. Semta data shows that UK manufacturing needs to upskill 550,000 of the technical workforce to achieve world class standards. In addition, 96,300 scientists, engineers and technologists will need to be recruited and trained by 2016 to combat skills loss through retirements in an aging workforce.

So investment in skills is vital to drive economic growth.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Semta .