£65m boost for skills training

An agreement between the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and employers will increase the level of training available through Semta, the sector skills council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies in the UK.

Our partnership with government will deliver real economic benefits to science, engineering and manufacturing

Philip Whiteman

Chief Executive

Semta

Some £65 million has been acquired from the Train to Gain budget to help Semta fund the training programme to provide business improvement techniques.

Under the new scheme, Semta will use the funding to train employees who already hold GCSEs, A-levels or the equivalent but require more specific or up-to-date qualifications.

John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, universities and skills, said between 2004 and 2014, 324,000 skilled vacancies in the science, engineering and manufacturing industries will have been created and the new scheme would help fill this gap.

Philip Whiteman, Semta's Chief Executive, commented: "Our partnership with government will deliver real economic benefits to science, engineering and manufacturing.

According to Semta, its training in business improvement techniques can result in real benefits to a firm.

The organisation cited examples such as Kettering-based Cooney Marine, which recorded a 123 per cent improvement in delivery and a 139 per cent rise in value added per person after its staff received the training.