Gareth Jones, managing director of West Midlands-based In-Comm Training and Business Services, said that firms need to focus on more than just the “skills gap” if they are going to develop the next generation of employees and save thousands of pounds in poor productivity.
He cited the importance of showing young people how the knowledge and skills they are learning can be applied on the shopfloor and explained the only way they can do that is to ensure they have access to industry experience.
“All we constantly hear about is bridging the skills gap and, whilst we should start there, we should be ensuring they go on to the next level,” he said.
“There is no substitute for showing apprentices how the attributes they are gaining can be used to improve efficiencies, come up with new solutions or meet Just-in-Time deliveries.
“And that is where experienced trainers come into their own, trainers who have been experts in their field and want to pass some of that knowledge, experience and common sense down to the next generation.”
Jones explained that In-Comm has recently recruited three more trainers at its academies in the Black Country and Shropshire. This has taken the total number of trainers up to 18 with a combined 330 years’ experience working across different manufacturing sectors.
“They cover all of the main competence gaps in industry, with specialists in maintenance, quality, production, health and safety and management systems,” he said.
In addition, In-Comm is also playing an integral role in the roll-out of the new Marches Centre for Manufacturing Technology (MCMT) in Bridgnorth.
The £3 million plus project has been supported by the Marches LEP and will cater for 2,020 apprentices and learners by 2020.
“This is a really bold step and one that brings together a consortium of partners including ourselves, Grainger & Worrall, Classic Motor Cars and Salop Design & Engineering,” Jones added. “The LEP listened to what employers wanted and, through the Government Skills Capital Initiative, are letting us drive the provision.
“It has the potential to bridge the competency gap that so much of industry is simply not paying attention to.”
