TRAINING
SPONSORED BY DAVENPORT BURGESS
CELEBRATION & CHALLENGE
AT MTA ANNUAL AWARDS
Celebration and challenge were
themes very much to the fore at
the Manufacturing Technologies
Association’s (MTA’s) 2014 Annual
Dinner & Awards held recently at the
ICC in Birmingham.
In his address, MTA President Mark
Ridgway OBE set out the new horizons
emerging in engineering-based
manufacturing and challenged his
audience to explore them. He said:
“If we can anticipate changes in
customer needs, and in the shape of our
industry, and if we can learn to manage
the new complexities that these changes
will present, then UK engineering really
will be evolving. I believe that the future
for British manufacturing is really
exciting.”
After dinner guests were entertained by
comedian Alistair McGowan.
Attention then turned to the 2014
Manufacturing Industry Awards. The
Best Training Scheme award was won by
Craftsman Tools of Otley West Yorkshire
and Best Supplier Partnership was swept
up by Bowers and Sylvac. The future of
the industry was recognised with the
award of best young engineer to Phil Baker
of CT Machine Tools and the coveted
AMTRI Scholarship, which helps fund
the professional development of a young
design engineer, went to Adam Hazeldine
of Holroyd Precision.
MTA Director General, Graham
Dewhurst, received a special award for his
long service to the Association.
Economic upturn will expose holes
in skills landscape, says CBI
The return to economic
growth in the UK could be
derailed unless skills and
education deficiencies are
addressed, says the CBI.
In the latest CBI/Pearson
Education and Skills report,
the CBI suggests there are early
indications of fewer businesses
reporting problems in
recruiting STEM skills, but an
upturn would test this trend.
The survey found business’
top priorities are safeguarding
funding for STEM in further
education and improving the
supply of specialist teachers in
schools.
CBI director general, John
Cridland, said that a lack
of adequate careers advice
was hampering transitions
between education and work.
He suggested careers advice
should be seen as a priority not
an afterthought.
Neil Carberry, (pictured) CBI
director for employment and
skills, said: “The flip side of
faster growth is an escalating
skills crisis. While this isn’t
surprising, it makes it all the
more urgent to close the skills
gaps in science, technology,
engineering and maths to
support the recovery.
“We must expand access to
high quality apprenticeships
and other ‘learn while you
earn’ schemes and ensure that
these meet the needs of both
businesses and employees.”
Apprenticeship grant for employers (AGE)
– new funding for small businesses
In his Budget statement,
George Osborne announced
new funding packages to
encourage small businesses to
take on more apprenticeships
and to support degree
level and postgraduate
apprenticeships.
Extra funding will support
demand for AGE in 2014 to
2015 and the scheme will focus
entirely on small businesses
(ie those with fewer than 50
48
MAR/APR 2014
employees) from January 2015.
£170 million of additional
finance will be made available,
made up of £85 million in
2014 to 2015 and £85 million
in 2015 to 2016, split across
the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills and the
Department for Education, as
the initiative covers the 16 to 24
age bracket.
Business Secretary Vince
Cable said: “AGE has been
very successful in encouraging
smaller businesses to take on
their first apprentices. With the
appetite for apprenticeships
growing, this new £170 million
investment and programme
expansion will give a boost
to smaller businesses and
enable us to meet the higher
than anticipated demand for
the scheme over the next two
years.” Degree & postgraduate
apprenticeships £20 million
of new finance is also being
committed to support degree
level and postgraduate
apprenticeships - £10 million
in 2014 to 2015 and £10 million
in 2015 to 2016. Vince Cable
added: “We want it to be the
new norm that young people
either choose to go to university
or begin an apprenticeship.”
More details:
www.greatbusiness.gov.uk
To read more, visit www.locksmithjournal.co.uk