ECITB Securing Engineering Construction Skills Now and For the Future
Government to Invest in Energy Infrastructure
Securing a skilled workforce to meet the demands of the engineering construction industry is more prevalent than ever, after it was announced in the Government’s Spending Review that investment into energy infrastructure would be high on the agenda for 2015 to 2020.
Chief Executive of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), David Edwards said: “The engineering construction industry is and has been a key enabler of the energy industry, providing much of the engineering and construction skills needed to design, build and maintain the complex processing plants and equipment.”
The engineering construction industry is integral to modern living and is essential for economic growth in the UK. Through the provision of effective training programmes and services, the ECITB aims to build the capacity and capability of this highly skilled workforce to support future energy plans and “keep the lights on in Britain.”
“The industry will require as many as 60,000 more engineers, scientists, technologists and skilled workers over the next ten years, to replace retirees and meet expansion demands across all the sectors we work in,” said David.
It is expected that 20,000 of these recruits will need to be apprentices, 20,000 will need to come into the industry from allied sectors and a further 20,000 will need to be professional engineers and other graduates.
The Spending Review revealed the Government’s commitment to the nuclear sector; and the ECITB, through its membership of the Nuclear Energy Skills Alliance (NESA) is already addressing the probable skills gap. The UK nuclear sector currently employs around 44, 000 people and this figure is set to soar as decommissioning projects and nuclear new build come to fruition.
“The new build programme is anticipated to create 30,000 new jobs over the next 15 years. Working with the Nuclear Energy Skills Alliance plays a major part of ECITB’s goal to ensure the skills of the engineering construction workforce are ready to meet the opportunities posed by the nuclear industry,” said the Chief Executive.
The ECITB has statutory responsibility for the training of the UK’s engineering workforce and development of qualifications. It invests £10m annually to support 2200 apprentices in the UK to develop those valuable skills needed to drive the economy. Over the next four years the organisation will invest at least £100m into the delivery of apprenticeships, training programmes and the development of qualifications for the industry.
The ECITB will secure more than 300,000 training opportunities over the next five years for new entrants and existing members of the workforce across the sectors that make up the engineering construction industry: nuclear energy; oil & gas; power generation; renewable energy; chemicals; pharmaceuticals; water treatment; food & drink; steel; and glass & paper manufacturing.
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About the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board
The ECITB is the statutory and charitable body set up to secure engineering construction skills now and for the future. It has delivered training successfully to over one million learners over 20 years, and is led and funded by employers from the industry, ensuring the services are relevant and fit for purposeThe ECITB provides professional advice, information, skills development and qualifications to help individuals in engineering construction and anyone interested in a career in the industry to succeed. A dedicated website has been set up to provide more detailed information http://careers.ecitb.org.uk/ The ECITB sets a range of occupational and training standards, awards industry specific qualifications and invests £20 million each year in support of apprentices and adult learners across a range of skills. From entry level craft and technician programmes through to advanced engineering project management skills. In 2011, 65,000 people were supported through the ECITB’s range of approved programmes delivered by a network of over 200 approved providers. The ECITB strategy is built on three objectives, these are to attract , develop and qualify talented people for the industry. The ECITB operating processes that secure the depth, breadth and quality of service are: employer engagement, identification of skills needs and priorities, stakeholder and provider engagement, delivery and continuous improvement. The ECITB provides support to employers, their employees and apprentices to design, build, maintain and decommission nuclear, power, pharmaceutical, renewables, chemicals, food, water, oil & gas facilities and other processes.
For more information visit www.ecitb.org.uk
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