Page 31 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan

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Employers Voice67 Significant Challenges
• Sustaining a commercially viable business
• Acquiring the desired skills to maintain a high
level of quality of production
• Competition from low cost economies and
economic slowdown generally
Recruitment Difficulties
• Difficulty in recruiting specific skilled positions in Engineering, Manufacturing, Science, Business Development and Design.
• Difficulty in recruiting sewing machinists in textile manufacture
• Difficulty in recruiting individuals with a ‘can do’ attitude generally
• Mechatronics
• Hardware and software engineers
• Production operators
• Line leaders
• Bakery mixers
• Fork lift truck drivers
Work Readiness of New Entrants
Drivers of Change
• Market forces, competition and the economy generally
• The demand for quality products
• Price competition and the consolidation of
competitors
Barriers to Training
• The cost of release and the cost of training are seen as barriers to training for some whereas others believe there are no barriers to training.
• Smaller companies feel providers don’t necessarily recognise their training needs as being current and therefore train internally.
• General consensus that new entrants to the sector are not ‘work ready’
• Basic skills of new entrants need improving; e.g. verbal reasoning, writing skills, numerical and social skills.
• Work ethic and general attitude can be poor
Swansea Bay City Region
The Swansea Bay City Region skills group has identified the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector as being a key focus point for the region. This has been evidenced by a report for the skills group which investigated the supply of skilled individuals to the advanced manufacturing and engineering sectors.68 Swansea University has invested significantly in engineering provision based on Open Innovation, co-locating industry with academic expertise. The Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone also provides a significant opportunity to enhance the links between the advanced manufacturing and energy environment sectors.
Baglan Energy Park Baglan Energy Park is a well established and successful private and public sector initiative led by St. Modwen, Neath Port Talbot Council and the Welsh Government.
67 RLSP Large company survey & electronic survey (April- June, 2016)
68 http://www.rlp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/SBCR-AMM-and-Engineering-January-2016.pdf
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales Aspirational Economy