Page 51 - Neath Port Talbot Skills Report 2024

Industry
Industry need to think differently, the traditional
methods of recruitment retention and productivity
need to be challenged. Industry must be
encouraged to work smarter because there will be
a tightening of the labour market and more skill
shortages due to demographics and generation Z
disengagement.
Industry must adapt to attract new generation Z
employees, understand what motivates them, what
they look for in a career and offer packages that
suit. If this is not done locally, they will move out of
the county and find work where better packages
and conditions are in place.
We can place the best educational system in place
and lead the way in new sustainable technologies,
but if local industry does not make the change and
offer those jobs, talent drain will get worse.
Majority of SME’s need guidance and support for
the path they need to take towards Net Zero and
the demographic challenges. Highlight the
opportunities the future will bring to the core
economic industry and provide them with the tools
and knowledge to take full advantage of that
potential.
Many have an ageing workforce, long term sickness
issues, rising costs and recruitment concerns, how
can they retain experience and knowledge use the
older generation as mentors and not lose that vital
knowledge.
With the correct guidance and support the county
can ensure that skills and competences are in place
at a local level to achieve the counties ambitions.
Education and Industry must look to a
partnership approach and build on the
successes where this has previously happened.
Engagement with the RLSP is also vital. To note,
the RLSP only received 25 survey responses
from NPT businesses when requesting feedback
for this skills report, making it incredibly difficult
to produce a more granular skill needs picture
for the county.
Research found that businesses tend to look
inwardly when considering their future skills
need: 40% of employers say they assess future
skills and talent requirements internally through
audits, benchmarks, or dialogue with staff, while
one in five (20%) do so by collaborating with
other businesses in their industry to understand
emerging trends, and 17% consult with HR or
recruitment agencies, and 16% with educational
institutions
City and Skills
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