Enginuity training hub introduced

The initiative is aimed not only at improving the image of manufacturing – to attract more youngsters into the profession – but also to improve engineering skills in the South West. “Like the rest of the UK, companies in the Plymouth area have suffered from a lack of youngsters wanting to move into manufacturing after leaving school or college. In the past, manufacturing firms in Plymouth have not communicated to the youngsters what engineering as a career is all about and the possibilities,” says Dr Graham Stirling, managing director of Plymouth-based bearings manufacturer The Barden Corporation (UK). “It was clear that we needed to work more closely with primary and early secondary schools in the area, as well as further and higher education establishments. We also recognised that training provision had to be demand-led. In other words, what skills, as manufacturing employers in the area, did we require? Rather than local colleges and universities coming to us with what they had to offer, we had to take the lead. This was quite a challenge, but we’re already seeing the benefits,” enthuses Stirling. Plymouth’s new ‘Enginuity’ initiative is certainly one of the positive stories. Set up around 12 months ago to solve the skills shortage and training problems, it is funded by the Government’s Learning & Skills Council and by the member companies themselves. As MD of Barden, Stirling saw an opportunity not only to improve the training and skills of his own workforce, but also to help other manufacturers in the region. “At Barden, we’re already benefiting from Enginuity,” says Stirling. “We recently needed four more Six Sigma practitioners for the plant. We asked the other local employers if they required this sort of training too. 14 people required training, so Barden hosted the training session, which was conducted by representatives from The South West Manufacturing Advisory Service [SWMAS]. By aggregating our training needs, we were able to afford the best training provision for our staff. We’ve held similar training courses since then, and the places are filled very quickly.”