Semta urges employers to increase training investment

The organisation is working with employers to develop sustainable solutions to sector challenges such as the competitiveness of the UK supply chain, barriers to hiring apprentices and increasing the number of SMEs hiring graduates. Plans are also in place to provide a range of cost effective training interventions covering leadership and management, technical skills and productivity improvement. "We are urging businesses to consider how training could improve productivity, boost order books and increase profitability," said Semta's chief executive Philip Whiteman. "Businesses in our sectors account for over half of the total value of the UK's exports so the right engineering and technology skills are essential to the UK's economic prosperity. "With our research showing that almost a fifth of employers in our sectors have skills gaps within their organisations, the first step is for all companies to take an honest look at their business challenges and work with Semta to identify exactly what development will make them more competitive." Looking to the year ahead, Whiteman maintained that businesses must understand the importance of upskilling to higher competency levels. He also urged that they grow their future talent to tackle skills gaps and shortages.