systems-based qualifications designed to be valid in industries such as construction, marine, agriculture, offshore, renewable energy, rail and mining. I think these modular courses are hugely valuable and meet the needs of the industry. One of the questions being asked, inevitably, is to what extent do we need apprenticeships? Most of EAMA’s members are very keen on apprenticeships and are eager to see the system work. However, they are not for everyone. I believe there will be a further update of modular training, especially for upskilling existing workers, but we absolutely need both this type of training and a sound apprenticeship structure. Rishi Sunak has highlighted that Britain is well behind many other developed nations in the amount companies invest in training, so we have a lot of ground to make up. Regarding modular training, the government’s Skills Bootcamps initiative has been quite effective in construction, digital and HGV driver training, but not really in engineering, partly because of the way the scheme is structured. Engineering has to find its own way, working with the government system. Upskilling Up-skilling the existing workforce is a key challenge. In an age where digitally transformative technologies are increasingly taking a positive hold on different sectors, there is the need to ensure there is a pool of young people ready to enter the workforce with an enthusiasm to embrace this technology. However, existing employees will need to train – and there will be skilled people moving across sectors. Getting this right will be key for businesses and for the economy. Supply chain challenge Proportionally, the UK has the biggest reliance on China of any nation in the European region. That’s certainly an issue and I revert to my comments concerning re-shoring. The Ukraine war has had a massive impact both directly and indirectly on supplies. It seems likely that the semiconductor supply problem is likely to carry on for much of this year and the future of semi-conductors is becoming a major geo-political issue. There is a lot of thinking around UK resilience issues to ensure the reliable supply of essential materials and components. I think what’s remarkable is how flexible, imaginative, creative and resilient UK companies have shown themselves to be. Furthermore, the nimbleness of SMEs in particular to adapt to circumstances has been hugely impressive. Possibly, they’ve been helped by the fact that they were already focused on building up contingency funds, due to uncertainties around Brexit. Many companies were uncertain as to how things were going to develop and so were bolstering their financial reserves where they could – or investing where necessary. One of the changes from Brexit has been an increase in the time it takes to move goods from Europe to customers. The companies that available locally and work with local suppliers’. It’s starting to happen in the wake of the learnings from the pandemic, but a lot more still could be done. Environmental responsibility Another critical issue is the environment. We have just seen the Skidmore Report on Net Zero, the first conclusion of which is that “Net Zero is creating a new era of change and opportunity”. EAMA is keen for net zero targets not to be seen as something completely detached from companies’ business. Net zero should also be integrated within the thinking around digitally transformative technologies. A responsible attitude to the environment can be a major component in attracting younger people into industry. Many of them are committed to net zero, and rightly so of course. There are huge issues surrounding the importance of protecting our planet. Many believe manufacturing is the problem, but if managed correctly it can actually be a solution to the problem. As Skidmore made clear, the subject is not easy and there are risks. The challenge for the government, I think, is to regulate well and at a company level it is to run your business in as low energy and environmentally friendly manner as possible. That is entirely compatible with running an efficient business. Think of the big long-term trends towards recycling, the circular economy, designing from minimum waste and manufacturing to order. All these trends are being driven now not so much by government but by businesses. Talking about cutting energy costs is a far better way to get a firm’s attention at the moment than talking about Net Zero, but that will change. www.bfpa.co.uk 43 All round the world, countries are looking to strengthen their manufacturing. It is imperative that we do the same to remain competitive. anticipated that and invested in UK warehousing and distribution are benefiting over companies that didn’t. Also, when we look back to the early days of the COVID pandemic and the need for manufacturers to, in many cases, retool their machinery to produce more ventilators and PPE, one thing that became abundantly clear was the government and many tier one companies and OEMs didn’t know enough about the supply chain. This may not be hugely significant in itself, but it just highlighted the problem. So, we need to get larger companies into the mentality of thinking ‘I need to understand what’s
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=