Skills shortages in Northern Ireland’s engineering industry are costing the local economy Stg£21 million (€26.5m) a year, it was revealed today.
A new report has highlighted an 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 replace those leaving through retirement or other reasons.
The shortage of workers was highlighted 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, 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 long 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."
She said it could be achieved by training plans and companies investing in their employees as a proven path to improving the business bottom line.
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 Northern Ireland's manufacturing industry.
"Underpinning this we have already supported the development of training providers in Northern Ireland's further education colleges, ensuring they have the advanced skills to deliver the right training and are validated against industry-recognised levels of competence.
"We will now turn our focus to working with employers to identify and implement the programmes they need to plug the skills gaps in their workforce and deliver real business benefits," he said.
PA