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BOSSES at Peterborough's Perkins Engines are in no doubt as to the seriousness of the vulnerability of any company that fails to ensure the higher skills level of its employees.
BOSSES at Peterborough's Perkins Engines are in no doubt as to the seriousness of the vulnerability of any company that fails to ensure the higher skills level of its employees.It is a message that its manufacturing and engineering manager Andy Wheatcroft has been hammering home at business meetings in the city.
His message is simple. Companies in Peterborough are doing business in a global economy and their competitors are not just in Cambridgeshire or other parts of the UK. They are across the world and, particularly in the so-called emerging economies of China and India.
Once renowned as pools of limitless low cost labour, these countries are now emerging as centres of highly-skilled workers driven by an intense aspiration to succeed.
The problems facing Peterborough though have been underlined by a new study from Cambridgeshire County Council, which shows the city has lower qualification levels than the English average.
The report, which was presented by the Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership to business leaders last week, states: "For Peterborough to reach national projected qualification levels for 2021 an additional 27,400 people would need to be educated to degree level or equivalent and 18,300 people would need to achieve additional qualifications beyond level one."
But there is an additional problem: the workforce is getting older. The study states that population growth is expected to be greatest among those aged over 65 with the number of people of working age expected to decline. This would mean effort must also be made to improve the skills of those already in the workforce.
Perkins' apprenticeship co-ordinator Sandy Robertson said: "We have experienced difficulties over the last few years getting applicants for our apprenticeship scheme.
"As a result we have had to raise our profile."
One idea was to invite the headteachers of local schools into the Perkins' factory to see how modern engineering operated.
Technical services manager Malc Storton said: "They were amazed at what we had to show them. We had many comments that they had no idea that engineering was like this."
Machine centre of excellence manager Tony Green said: "Long gone are the days of grimy, noisy factories where one person might do little more than just push a couple of buttons each day."
Instead, the factories are equipped with the very latest in sleek, ultra efficient and clean robotic engineering. Each machine is housed in its own fenced off section and once programmed, is left to get on with the job.
But it means that the skill levels of the men and women who tend to these machines has to be more extensive than in the past.
There are several ways of achieving this from widening the curriculum for the apprenticeships, time spent with the manufacturers that make machinery for Perkins to opportunities to continue their education after their apprenticeship.
Mr Green said the equipment used in the Perkins’ factories was made by companies in the UK and that apprentices would spend time with these firms.
He said: “It means our apprentices have seen how these machines are built and know how they operate and what to do if anything goes wrong.
“They will also have built up relationships with staff at these firms. It means that if we have any problems they can just pick up the phone and get it sorted out.”
Efforts to raise the profile of apprenticeships at Perkins are already bringing in their rewards, with about 16 youngsters expected to start the three-year course next year.
Fifteen apprentices started this year, compared to five the previous year and 10 a year earlier.
Each apprenticeship is reckoned to cost the firm about 20,000 for the three year course. There are also opportunities for each youngster to go on to study for HNC, or even to go on to university.
Mr Storton said: “We have had to look at the type of approach we take to our apprenticeships because engineers of the future will need to be much more rounded and flexible. Engineering is becoming a much more skilled industry.
“It offers tremendous opportunities for young people.”
Mr Green said Perkins was also aware of the need to ensure existing staff were brought up to date with their skills and offered opportunities to staff who were able to grow and develop their skills.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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