The government has announced plans to provide more funding to improve skill levels in the manufacturing sector.
Some £65 million has been earmarked from the Train to Gain budget to help Semta, the Sector Skills Council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies, invest in the skills of the sector’s workforce.
Part of the budget will be available to train employees who already hold GCSE or A-level equivalent qualifications but who need more specific, or more up-to-date, business qualifications.
The government said it expected to announce further partnerships with Sector Skills Councils to help equip key sectors with the training needed to make good skills shortages and to provide people with the ability to apply for and fill jobs.
John Denham, the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, said: “It is estimated that between 2004 and 2014 there will be a need for an additional 324,000 skilled workers in science, engineering and manufacturing technologies. These are the jobs of the future. We can only meet this challenge by working in close partnership with employers, offering improved training support in exchange for an enhanced commitment to engage with that support.”
The announcement follows on from government plans to give employees the right to ask for time to train.
Date:29 May 2008
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