Qualifications to meet skills gap challenges in engineering and manufacturing

THE challenges of plugging skills gaps in the UK’s engineering and manufacturing industries are being met by Progress to Excellence Ltd with a learning pledge to train a workforce of the future.

Qualifications in Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) and Performing Management Operations (PMO) are moving up the education agenda to maximise the potential to boost productivity for industry employers.

Damian Burdin, Chief Executive at Progress to Excellence Ltd, said: “Both sets of qualifications have never been more important than now, a time when our engineering and manufacturing industries are recognising the need to collaborate with, and work alongside, the training and education sector to address the nation’s skills shortages.

“Using the knowledge gained here can also massively contribute to a business’ ability to reduce costs and eliminate waste, vital for day-to-day operations in the engineering and manufacturing sectors where the benefits of quality improvement are integral to bottom line results and customer satisfaction.”

Progress to Excellence Ltd qualifications in Business Improvement Techniques offer sector-specific qualifications and help learners to apply a range of plans to move forward in the industrial workplace.

Performing Manufacturing Operations, a work-based qualification, is aimed at learners who are working, or want to work, across a broad range of areas in the engineering sector.

Damian continued: “Figures show that the engineering sector is thriving, with 27 per cent of UK businesses being engineering-related. New industries and technologies are being created, adding to a significant demand for engineering skills with 79,000 engineering-related roles set to appear each year.

“Manufacturing enterprises within the engineering footprint also remain the largest economic contributor of the engineering-based industries, which in recent years generated £156.1 billion Gross Value Added (GVA) or almost 10 per cent of the GVA for all industries.

“All this adds up to the need for a workforce equipped to keep the wheels of our economy turning effectively.

“But it’s not enough to just hire more workers to fill these skills gaps. New employees have to be trained not only in their essential skills but also with a specific company work ethic and culture; existing employees can be up-skilled too to ensure higher productivity.

“Key to this is strengthening ties between business and training providers to ensure the right path in the education pipeline.”

BIT and PMO qualifications delivered by Progress to Excellence Ltd can bring workplace and employee benefits to engineering and manufacturing operations by:

• Creating a more efficient workplace where costs and waste are reduced
• Improving productivity and performance
• Instilling an attitude of teamwork and motivation among staff and helping with employee retention
• Making the workforce feel valued
• Showing customers the business’ investment in quality improvement

All training – whether for new staff or for up-skilling an existing workforce – is delivered in the workplace by sector specialists.

Email for more information about qualifications in Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) and Performing Management Operations (PMO).