Cogent: Three year skills plan to deliver world-class workforce in cogent sector
A new £50m three-year agreement between Government and the Cogent Science-based industries, to help beat skills shortages and build a world-class workforce was announced by Skills Minister the Rt Hon John Denham MP, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), today.
The deal, agreed by DIUS, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Cogent SSC, the Sector Skills Council for the chemicals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries, will help to deliver more highly skilled and qualified workers in a sector requiring 24,000 process operatives in the next five years.
A particular concern in the sector is that Cogent research shows that the current inflow of non-graduates (entry via apprenticeships and vocational qualifications) is insufficient to meet replacement demand in core processing and technician roles. This deficit will increase significantly in the five-year period to 2017, which coincides with the lowest point in 16-18 year-olds in the population. A focus on upskilling and re-skilling the current workforce is a therefore a strategic priority.
Through the sector compact, Cogent will focus the support and funding available through Train to Gain to take action against the priorities set out in the industry’s Sector Skills Agreement, including meeting challenging targets for training new entrants and qualifying existing workers.
Outcomes from the new agreement will include:
- 10,500 learners achieving ‘full’ Level 2 qualifications
- 5215 learners achieving ‘full’ Level 3 qualifications
- 3000 management & leadership outcomes
- 6000 apprenticeships starts
- 1500 Skills for Life outcomes
The agreement introduces significant flexibilities into the LSC’s Train to Gain funding system to encourage more employers to take advantage of funding for upskilling.
It is aimed at the specific skills needs of the science-using Cogent Sector and a range of value-adding qualifications. Importantly, Cogent’s partners, The National Skills Academies for Nuclear and Process Industries, will also work with individual employers and the Train to Gain Skills Brokers to assess their needs and identify support through Train to Gain.
In addition, the funding agreement will support more employers to make the Cogent Skills Pledge, a nationally recognised commitment to help employees gain new skills at work. It builds on the Government’s Skills Pledge and shows a company’s readiness to invest in people and support the drive for increased skills and qualification levels.
The agreement also commits DIUS, the LSC and Cogent to:
Work in partnership with Train to Gain skills brokers and the National Apprenticeship Service
Develop innovative ideas for working with small and large employers to help meet their specific skills needs, using funding available through Train to Gain
The move follows John Denham’s consultation on a new right to time to train for employees, an announcement that small and medium-sized business will be the focus of £350m of Government funds to help them train their staff, and a renewed commitment to ensure the skills system delivers appropriately trained people for industries employing the workforce of the future.
Skills Secretary John Denham said:
“The Government values the important strategic contribution the chemical, pharmaceutical, nuclear and petroleum industries makes to our national life, and is committed to working closely with the sector to help it attract, train and retain quality staff. We must support businesses to continue investing in skills during the economic downturn as we know that companies that carry on investing in training their staff do better when the economy starts to pick up again. This agreement with Cogent will ensure that employers have access to flexible, world-class training tailored to the specific needs of their business, delivered when and where they need it.”
Cogent CEO Joanna Woolf said:
“This plan is a real boost to the Cogent Sector where higher level skills are a critical success factor in making business more competitive. Cogent research suggests around 120,000 people in the Cogent Sector would benefit from level 2 qualifications and a further 50,000 from level 3 qualifications – so there’s tremendous potential to set many more people on the road to continuous learning.”
Jean Llewellyn, Chief Executive of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear said:
“This Compact together with the Skills Pledge represents an important part of the sector’s drive to raise skill levels and ensure a sustainable future for all. The nuclear industry needs to attract new entrants and is also committed to offering employees a wide range of opportunities together with relevant training and learning. This agreement will support their ongoing efforts as well as work to ensure complete confidence in the training offered.”
Philip Jones, Chief Executive of the National Skills Academy Process Industries added:
“Employers in the Process Industries have long recognised the need to offer their employees up-to-date and high quality training and the Sector Compact will facilitate this upskilling agenda both through funding support and through the further strengthening of our network of quality assured providers. Importantly it will ensure that the funded training is delivered locally in a way that best suits employers.”
Government investment in Train to Gain will rise to over £1 billion by 2010-11, supporting over 800,000 learners to improve their skills and gain new qualifications.
Mark Haysom, Chief Executive, the Learning and Skills Council commented:
“Now more than ever training is essential if companies are to weather the current economic climate. Through this new partnership with Cogent, we will be able to help even more employers get the advice and training to address critical skills needs in Cogent’s sectors through Train to Gain, which helps support businesses in tougher economic times.”
Notes to editors
1. Train to Gain
Government investment in Train to Gain will rise to over £1 billion by 2010-11 supporting over 800,000 learners to improve their skills and gain new qualifications.
Managed by the Learning and Skills Council, Train to Gain is the Government’s flagship service to support employers in England, of all sizes and in all sectors, to improve the skills of their employees, unlock talent and drive improved business performance. An important element of Train to Gain are the skills brokers, which offer impartial advice at no cost to employers, and helps them find the best training solution from high quality and responsive training providers to meet business needs.
Train to Gain is important because skills shortages continue to have a negative impact on UK productivity and competitiveness in the face of fast-growing economies. Train to Gain aims to encourage all businesses and individuals to value and realise the benefits that learning and skills can bring and to invest appropriately.
Train to Gain has just completed its second full year. Already more than 100,000 employers and well over 570,000 employees have benefited from the service. We expect these figures to increase significantly over the next couple of years as more employers see the benefits of increasing skills and get involved in training and improving the skills of their workforce.
2. Sector Skills Councils
SSCs are influential employer bodies. Licensed by Government, they are leading the drive to significantly improve skills and productivity in industry and business sectors across the UK. SSCs are also operating across the public sector, to support the Government’s ambitions for delivering world-class public services
3. About Cogent
Cogent is the sector skills council for the chemicals, pharmaceuticals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries. It is the voice of employers in these sectors and is working with them to create a skills environment that businesses need to be innovative, competent, productive and sustainable.
Cogent’s objectives are:
To improve productivity and business performance through skills development
To reduce skills gaps and shortages
To increase opportunities to boost skills
To influence skills supply across the training and education spectrum from schools to Higher Education
Cogent currently represents the interests of more than 20,000 businesses employing around 900,000 people. Since its creation it has been building on existing partnerships at regional and national level to drive forward the skills agenda in its science-using footprint.
For more on what we offer go to: www.cogent-ssc.com
For further information contact:
Judith Cowan on 01925 515 215
judith.cowan@cogent-ssc.com
Or Mervin Dadd on 01925 515 212
mervin.dadd@cogent.ssc.com
4. National Skills Academy Network
1. The National Skills Academy network is the new gold standard for industry training, aiming to improve productivity and tackle skills shortages across England. Each National Skills Academy puts employers at the heart of skills training for their sector: they influence the curriculum to ensure it reflects employers’ needs; get involved in the Academy’s management; set standards and influence strategic direction.
National Skills Academies aim to:
. deliver high quality training for a specific sector
. provide first-class teaching in a modern learning environment
. be centres of innovation and creativity in skills development for their sector
. be flexible, sustaining the closest possible relationships with employers of all sizes
. build specialist networks with a range of other learning providers, so that new thinking, new methods and higher standards are shared, to the benefit of learners and employers.
The National Skills Academy network was initiated by the Government to address the need for a world class workforce with better skills than ever before. It is managed by the Learning and Skills Council working in partnership with the Department for Education and Skills, the Sector Skills Development Agency and the Department of Trade and Industry.
For more information see: www.nuclear.nsacademy.co.uk;
or : http://process.nsacademy.co.uk
5. Sector Skills Compacts
Sector compacts are non-contractual agreements between the DIUS, the LSC and SSCs. Compacts provide SSCs with access to additional resource to work with the LSC and the Train to Gain service to encourage employers to take advantage of Apprenticeships and the Train to Gain offer and sign up to the Skills Pledge. To date, compacts have been announced with the construction, hospitality, process, science and technology and justice sectors. For more information see: http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/ttg/latest/
Anticipated outputs from the Cogent sector compact include:
1500 referrals to skills brokers
10,500 additional ‘full’ L2 qualification achievements
5215 additional ‘full’ L3 qualification achievements
1500 skills pledge commitments
3000 management & leadership outcomes
6000 apprenticeships starts
1500 Skills for Life outcomes
