Proskills, the Sector Skills Council for the Process & Manufacturing sector, which includes the Glazed Ceramics industry, has joined forces with four other related Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), Cogent, Improve Ltd, Semta and Skillsfast-UK, to form the Manufacturing Skills Alliance (MSA). The objective of the Alliance is to find common ground across the five manufacturing-related SSCs to unify and simplify the processes in which manufacturing employers can address skills shortages, access the right training support, and create opportunities for employers in their respective sectors to improve productivity and profitability through skills, allowing them to compete in the global economy.

The intention of the Alliance is to draw on the collaborative efforts of the five SSCs to develop a common, coherent approach that concentrates on the needs of manufacturing through the following distinct strands of activity; skills brokerage, qualifications, Labour Market Intelligence for providers and employers, and support through the recession. Implementation of the MSA plan is being spearheaded by Proskills UK.

For employers in the glazed ceramics industry, this will mean a better understanding of what support is available to them with a coherent set of programmes that meet the needs of the employers and will improve transferabilty for individuals across the industry.

Terry Watts, Chief Executive of Proskills UK said, “Having access to the right provision and, where appropriate, funding, has been the number one demand from our employers to drive competitiveness and productivity in the process and manufacturing sector. The MSA gives manufacturing a greater voice and will enable employers to exercise increased leverage to benefit the whole of the Manufacturing Sector. We at Proskills UK see the work of the MSA as critical to influencing Government at all levels, who tend to see Manufacturing as a homogeneous sector, and through this work we plan to get results for the range of employers across the whole of UK manufacturing. As the collective voice of manufactures we see the MSA as a great opportunity now there is a renewed focus on Manufacturing.”

The Alliance is fully supported by the Trades Unions involved with the five SSC’s. Tony Burke, Assistant General Secretary at Unite the Union, who is also a member of the Cogent board said, “The workforce of any company is the key asset of any organisation and the employees across the manufacturing industries have contributed to their growth and success through their skills and talents. Developing skills is paramount to creating a strong industry base and Unite is rigorously pursuing this agenda. We are working through the MSA and with employers to ensure a framework where employees develop new skills and gain qualifications that really mean something.”

The MSA has already started a number of collaborative projects that benefit employers in manufacturing industries. These include Productivity and Competitiveness programmes which provide training in lean manufacturing, the implementation of Business Improvement Techniques (BiT) to improve quality, cost and delivery. In addition, improvements are being introduced to allow for easier access and a better understanding of training and development for key skills available within the Manufacturing sector.

For more info, contact:
Terri Jones
Head of Marketing & Communications
Proskills UK
Tel: 01235 833844