Skills

Whether you are investing in training to develop skills of existing staff, want to find new talent, or aspire to join the manufacturing sector, the East of England has developed excellent links with training and education specialists offering relevant programmes dedicated to the manufacturing sector.  

Training/skills development

Many manufacturers in the region are taking advantage of the culture of skills development that exists in the East of England.  In this dynamic sector, investment in ongoing training is essential to drive productivity, growth and success.

• Apprenticeships - First stop for information on apprenticeships across all industries, with advice, guidance and details for apprentices, employers and parents, as well as current
• Cogent - The Sector Skills Council for the Chemicals, Nuclear, Oil and Gas, Petroleum and Polymers industry.
• EEF - Industry body dedicated to helping manufacturing businesses evolve, innovate and compete in a fast-changing world.
• IfM - Academic institution that integrates research and education with practical application to address the full spectrum of issues within manufacturing.
• IfM Education and Consultancy Services - A company wholly owned by the University of Cambridge whose purpose is to disseminate the IfM's research and education outputs to industry and governments.
• Improve Ltd - The Sector Skills Council for the Food and Drink Manufacturing Industry in the UK.
• Manufacturing Sector Skills Alliance - Co-ordinates access to quality training and skills development for manufacturing and processing employers with an aim to improve productivity and competitiveness. Made up of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) Cogent, Improve Ltd, Proskills, Semta and Skillfast-UK.
• MAS-East - MAS East is a dedicated source of support to engineering, manufacturing and technology businesses within the region.
• National Apprenticeship Agency - Service dedicated to increasing the number of Apprenticeship opportunities and provide a responsive service for both employers and learners.
• National Contracting Service - Contracting arm of the Learning and Skills Council.
• National Skills Academy for Manufacturing - A centre of excellence to tackle the skills priorities of the UK manufacturing sector.
• Proskills - An employer-led organisation that represents the process and manufacturing sector to government.
• SEMTA - Provides support to UK businesses to drive improvements in productivity by transforming skills.
• SkillFast UK - Representing the UK's fashion and textiles businesses in the areas of design, manufacturing and servicing.
• Skills Funding Agency - National agency providing funding for adult skills development in areas of strategic importance to the economy.
• Talentmap - UK-wide collaboration of employers, governments and brokers working to create a simple view of the education employment and skills systems in the UK.
• The Assessment Network/Investors in People (IIP) - Recognised partner for Investors in People in the East of England offering one-to-one advice and accreditation to national standards.
• Train to Gain - Government funded advice service which specialises in training and support across all industry sectors in the East of England sectors.

Recruitment

To support the predicted growth of the sector, the region boasts a wealth of talent covering a broad range of manufacturing and associated disciplines at competitive salary levels.

• Job Centre Plus - Jobcentre Plus can help customers find the right kind of jobs: full time or part time, temporary or permanent.
• Cooper Lomaz annual salary survey - below are results of the 2009 salary survey:
  • Engineering
  • Food manufacturing
  • Office support
  • Oil and gas
  • Sales and marketing
  • Supply chain

Careers

Considering a career in manufacturing? Want to join businesses that are at the forefront of innovation in the sector? Then this is a good place to start.

• Apprenticeships - First stop for information on apprenticeships across all industries, with advice, guidance and details for apprentices, employers and parents, as well as current vacancy listings.
• Proskills - An employer-led organisation that represents the process and manufacturing sector to government.  
• StemNet - STEMNET creates opportunities to inspire young people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
• Young Peoples' Learning Agency - Non-Departmental Public Body with funding responsibilities for education and training provision for young people aged 16-19.

If you are considering a manufacturing/engineering related degree, the universities in the East of England offer a wide range of options:

• Cranfield - Bringing together expertise in design, technology and management across Aerospace, Automotive, Bioscience, Energy, Environment and Security and Defence.
• Essex - The Faculty of Science and Engineering is made up of five academic departments/schools - School of Biological Sciences, Computer Science and Electronic Engineering Health and Human Sciences, Mathematics & Psychology.
• University of Cambridge - The Institute for Manufacturing at Cambridge University integrates research and education with practical application to address the full spectrum of issues within manufacturing.

• University of East Anglia - Science faculty comprises six Schools of Study and two affiliated Research Institutes including School of Computing Sciences  and Environmental Sciences.

• University of Hertfordshire - The School of Engineering and Technology at UH has degree opportunities for those interested in manufacturing within the business context.