Weekly News Bulletin – 13th April 2018

This week we shared an insightful thought piece from Real Business questioning whether the apprenticeship levy is workable or will result in a detrimental effect on the younger generation. Whilst many are arguing that the levy needs time to embed into the workplace environment, others have drawn attention to the fact that only 64,700 apprenticeships have been taken on this year in comparison to 2017. Real Business calls for a focused approach to be taken to encourage smaller companies to train young people as soon as they leave school. What is your opinion? Do you think the apprenticeship levy is ineffective or do you think it just needs a little more time?

In similar news, Open Access Government released a piece that recognises the importance of apprenticeships in the UK. Here, Open Access Government takes note of the falling number of apprenticeship opportunities available for those aged 16-24 years old and puts this down to the new apprenticeship levy. This is because the levy gives the employer the opportunity for training and not just apprenticeships.

Open Access Government believes this has led to a reduction of Level 2 apprenticeships, which in turn limits the options for those without training. Here at Metsec, our apprenticeships are available for those at Level 2 because we understand the value of investing in the next generation of construction professionals.

We also saw news from Express & Star revealing the impact of manufacturing in the UK. According to research commissioned by the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), the manufacturing sector is responsible for 23% of UK GDP and more than 7.4 million jobs depend on it. For every £1 million the manufacturing sector contributes to GDP itself, it creates another £1.5 million elsewhere in the UK economy. We are proud to work in such a thriving sector.

In supporting news, The Engineer released a thought-provoking piece on how the manufacturing sector positively impacts the UK economy and what the future holds. With a look at challenges, opportunities and future-proofing, we would recommend reading this article to take a deeper look into the industry.

Finally, we saw calls from Manufacturing Global for the industry to apply more technologies to their operations to maintain a competitive advantage over their global competitors. Based on analysis from PwC’s Strategy& report, named “Digital Champions: How industry leaders build integrated operations ecosystems to deliver end-to-end customer solutions”, only 1% of UK companies have qualified as ‘digital champions’, compared to 19% of firms in Asia. Do you think there is a risk if UK companies don’t pick up the pace to adopt to Industry 4.0?

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The Apprenticeship Levy is unworkable, and our youngsters are paying the price

Where ministers want to give the Apprenticeship Levy time to find its feet, Charlie Mullins is calling for complete change in a system that’s inefficient and unworkable.

https://realbusiness.co.uk/current-affairs/2018/04/09/apprenticeship-levy-unworkable-youngsters-paying-price/

The crucial role of apprenticeships in the UK

Chief Executive of The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), Mark Dawe details the crucial role of apprenticeships in the UK today

https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/crucial-role-of-apprenticeships-in-the-uk/44326/

New report reveals the ‘true impact’ of manufacturing

Manufacturing accounts for nearly a quarter of the economy and more than 7.4 million jobs depend on it, according to new research commissioned by the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA).

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/business/2018/04/10/new-report-reveals-the-true-impact-of-manufacturing/#V34yE1QeC0WYJePr.99

Comment: Manufacturing magic – why the sector is gold dust for the UK economy

Dave Atkinson, head of manufacturing at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, talks about what the sector means for the UK economy and what the future holds for the industry.

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/comment-manufacturing-magic/

UK manufacturing not utilising digitisation enough, compared to global competitors

According to a new analysis from PwC’s Strategy&, UK manufacturers are needing to apply more technologies to their operations to keep up with global competitors.

http://www.manufacturingglobal.com/technology/uk-manufacturing-not-utilising-digitisation-enough-compared-global-competitors