International Flooring Media News, Europe

Proskills, the sector skills council for the ceramics industry, has backed the National Vocational Qualifications Day (VQ Day), on Wednesday 22 June 2011.

Launched by Edge, an independent education foundation dedicated to raising the status of practical, technical and vocational learning, VQ Day draws attention to the vocational qualifications available to young people, teachers and employers.

Proskills has built strong links with wood companies and training providers to ensure that the vocational training available meets the needs of companies, employees and job seekers. There are currently around 3,500 job vacancies in the process and manufacturing sector which employers are struggling to fill due to the lack of trained candidates. In addition, a third of employers recognise a vital need for improved skills within their current workforce, with two thirds of these saying the skills gap is having a direct negative impact on their business performance.

Terry Watts, CEO of Proskills, offers this reaction to VQ Day: “Renewed interest in vocational training such as apprenticeships and work experience schemes is critical. The youth unemployment rate in the UK currently stands at 19.3% with 895,000 16 to 24 year olds unemployed in the three months to April 2011*, so we know that young people have been particularly hard hit during the recession in terms of where to turn for jobs. We need to give those actively pursuing employment the opportunities to acquire work ready skills or we risk creating an unskilled generation of people.”    

Terry continued: “A University education has traditionally been thought of as the passport to a good career, however in the current climate, with personal debt soaring and university tuition fees rising to inflated levels, it’s not surprising that many young people are looking for other avenues to pursue. Vocational training, which offers people the chance to earn while they learn, is ever more attractive.

As the backbone of UK manufacturing, with 10,000s of the small companies the government is hoping will help ‘rebalance’ the economy, our sector requires continued support from the Government and the creation of more funding and investment in vocational training schemes. This will ultimately allow the UK ceramics industry to maintain its status as a strong competitor in the global marketplace.”

Reference: * Office for National Statistics (ONS), Wednesday 15 June 2011