Midland training firm's report shows 'lack of faith' in government solutions to manufacturing skills shortage

In-Comm Training, which has offices in Walsall and Telford, says their latest "barometer" report, which took in the opinions of 103 managing directors and HR leads, paints a picture of industry confusion when it comes to understanding what the Government is doing to bridge the well-publicised gap.

A total of 78% of firms questioned believe that there is not enough support available to boost their training fortunes (a 6% increase on last year), while more than three fifths (61%) do not understand what Skills England has been set up to do.

All of this is contributing to a mixed skills landscape for companies struggling to balance workforce development with going after new opportunities in electrification, reshoring and value-added engineering, they say.

“I think the devil is going to be in the detail and Labour needs to quickly communicate how it is changing apprenticeships and training support,” said Gareth Jones, Managing Director of In-Comm Training.

“The issue it faces comes from a lack of standardisation in the skills system through many different governments, regardless of colour. This has created confusion, distrust and a lack of understanding and engagement.”

“Our firms, who have been battered by inflation, rising energy costs and the impending minimum wage and NIC increases, are struggling to look past the headlines and currently have little confidence that the government is going to be a positive influence in helping it bridge the skills gap.

“A few announcements have already been made that indicate we are in the middle of change, but they’ve been announced before an actual Industrial Strategy has been finalised. There definitely appears to be an increased void between policy and the shopfloor.”

For the first time in the history of the survey, less than half (46%) of businesses are planning to increase investment in their training budget, a sign that external factors are encroaching on skills spending.

Two thirds have issued a call to reform the Apprenticeship Levy, with a focus on making sure they have greater control on what they can spend funding on and a definite split between wanting money for apprentices and money for other types of training.

There was an eight per cent uptick in the number of companies looking to recruit an apprentice at 69% of firms questioned, with developing future talent, fulfilling a skills gap and upskilling the three main priorities.

In-house infrastructure and access to the right Apprenticeship standards continue to be the biggest barriers (26% and 23% respectively) to investing in vocational learning.

“It was interesting to see a rise in apprenticeship recruitment intentions this year. This mirrors what we have seen on the ground, with clients slowly releasing the shackles to take people on, underlining the resilience of engineering and manufacturing once more. Whilst its an increase, there is still potential for more," added Gareth.

"The sector still needs a greater national focus that recognises its status as a top performing industry when it comes to positive contribution to GVA.

“Other positive results featured an increase in the desire to improve technology to boost productivity (81%) and firms being able to retain staff, with just a quarter struggling to keep workers. Is this a case of the jobs market turning in favour of the employer, new initiatives or firm’s introducing more flexibility and better working conditions?"