Skills shortages in Northern Ireland's engineering industry are costing the local economy £21 million a year, it was revealed yesterday.
A new report has highlighted the urgent need to provide training for over 14,000 employees in the sector to plug a skills gap across management and core technical staff.
At the same time 8,000 more recruits will be needed between now and 2014 to r
eplace those leaving through retirement or other reasons.
The shortage of workers was detailed in the first-ever Skills Balance Sheet for Northern Ireland by the sector skills council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA).
Funded by the Department for Education and Learning, the study reviewed the demand for skills from employers, the available supply of education and training and other key gaps and mismatches.
A new Skills Academy is being established to address the problems through a partnership between SEMTA, the Engineering Training Council for Northern Ireland (ETC NI) and the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing, which has just launched its office in the Province.
SEMTA and ETC NI will work with employers to select the best training to maximise returns and ensure the business benefits of world-class skills are sustained after training has been completed.
Lynn Tomkins, UK policy director of SEMTA, said: “Engineering employers in Northern Ireland need to meet the challenges of staying competitive in tough market conditions by improving competitiveness and productivity.”
Bob Gibbon, managing director at the Skills Academy, said they aimed, with the help of others, to make a significant contribution to the health and wealth of the Province’s manufacturing industry.
The full article contains 273 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
