Ageing workforce the problem, say manufacturers
Some of Bradford’s manufacturers gathered in the city recently to discuss the looming skills shortage that the industry is expected to face in the near future.
This still-important source of wealth and job creation, formerly in wool and engineering but now in sectors such as digital media, chemicals and food, is finding out, thanks to the support of Bradford Chamber of Commerce, how to fill skills gaps and tackle shortages through mutual support.
The key speaker at the breakfast event at the Midland Hotel was Morrisons’ HR head, Nathan Clement. While the nature of skills gaps, such as happened when the food group bought out competitor Safeways a few years ago, is very different to those facing a small independent firm, there were still some lessons to take for the attendees.
A skills matrix and profile of staff, combined with a production matrix and profile, allows Morrisons to keep on top of the movement of talent on its books. Nathan explained that, while the jargon and model appeared technical and heavy, it was actually light-touch and user-friendly. Similar systems and applications, albeit in a slimmed-down version, should be adapted and used in smaller firms.
More traditional manufacturers, the meeting was told, will struggle to fill the positions of retiring skilled craftsmen over the next generation. The changing face of the workplace and educational priorities since the 1970s has meant that there will be few takers when the 50+ generation of workers leave manufacturing as they approach retirement.
Lee Smith of SEMTA, the Sector Skills Council for the industry, outlined how his organisation was helping with arranging apprenticeships and NVQs, but agreed that there was no getting away from the problems of an ageing workforce. Morrisons’ model of operational excellence allowed the firm to provide 100,000 vocational qualifications. A method of ‘imprinting’ – get people early enough, get them to repeat until it becomes routine – was the retailer’s good practice, said Nathan. People were not born to be winners, they were trained to be winners.
The issue of concerns over skills shortages was raised when the Bradford & Airedale Manufacturing Alliance (BAMA) was launched earlier this year. BAMA was created by Bradford Chamber of Commerce as a response to calls from within the District for more support for the sector. It is led by a voluntary steering group of business people from within the field.
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