Manufacturers investing in training to beat poor quality applicants, EEF finds

EEF head of employment & skills policy, Tim Thomas, said: "Manufacturers are taking the initiative to ensure that skills gaps don't hold them back from their ambitions to develop new products and services and expand into new markets. But despite the government's best efforts, investing in apprenticeships and finding the right qualifications, training courses and provider is still far from straightforward." The survey found 74% of employers reporting the recruitment of employees as a key concern. A large number of companies said they expect skill needs to increase in the next three years – production (60%), craft and technician (58%) and R&D technical (41%) will be key areas. Around 60% of respondents said training spend would moderately or significantly increase in next two years with 68% currently offering apprenticeships, most for up to four years. Three quarters prioritise qualifications in maths and English when recruiting apprentices. And 43% disagreed that access to funding for training is easier than two years ago and only one in five reported increases in ease of finding right providers, or more relevant qualifications Thomas called for employers to be handed greater control and cash to resolve the problems. He said: "The time is ripe to go further and put employers in the driving seat by giving them the power to set the standards for their industry, the scope to decide how to train their apprenticeships and by routing public funding for training through the firms that invest in it. In doing so the government should resist the vested interests of training providers to maintain the status quo and the calls to add more bureaucracy to the system by giving LEPs control of skills budgets." "We also need to raise our level of our ambition on apprenticeships and the government should targeting any increase in resources for apprenticeships on those lead to higher skills"