Almost 80% of respondents to a recent British Plastics Federation (BPF, London / UK; www.bpf.co.uk) poll on skills and training needs in the plastics industry identified a gap between the training currently offered for apprentices and what employers really want. The main needs that training courses should address were identified as skills and qualifications, polymer/materials knowledge and skills, health and safety knowledge, technical plastics processing knowledge, production engineering as well as management development, according to the “Education & Skills Survey 2016.”

The poll also reinforced the perception of a serious skills gap, and tried to analyse the reasons for it. The issue was described as of “very high concern” by 43% of survey respondents, with 49% expressing “concern” about the matter. A mere 8% were not concerned with the potential negative effect of the skills gap on their business. Key problems identified in attracting skilled staff include a competitive salary, with respondents pointing out that the plastics industry is finding it difficult to match the salaries of other manufacturing segments. Another factor is the negative perception of plastics in general and the industry in particular. A more structural problem is the fact that the number of technical roles available outweighs the number of technical staff. The difficulties in finding suitable staff were already highlighted in a separate poll among BPF members conducted earlier this year (see Plasteurope.com of 07.03.2016). Companies also pointed to location as a factor limiting the opportunities for more staff.

One of the reasons for the gap, BPF members said, is the lack of advanced polymer engineering courses at degree level, as well as the lack of promoting manufacturing and other apprenticeships at school level. Short training courses were identified by 83% of poll respondents as a valuable way of narrowing the skills gap, and in fact 71% of those polled said they had made use of such courses within the last two years. However, one of the problems identified by respondents was the lack of clear guidance on what training courses are offered. In addition, 72% of companies did not have a clear understanding of the funding options available for training staff, while 70% said they did not know where to get help with regard to identifying what type of training is currently available.

To help address this problem, 48% of poll respondents said they would welcome clear guidance on what training courses are available. Apart from that, a number of firms proposed the establishment of a government standard training scheme as well as regular updates on training options from a dedicated industry body.

The BPF survey, which was conducted in late 2015 and early 2016 among 117 plastics companies, also found that 53.6% of respondents had at least one board member who started their career as an apprentice. Meanwhile, the most popular attribute of a skilled worker or apprentice, identified by 50% of respondents, was “hands-on staff who are operational.”

e-Service:
BPF “Education & Skills Survey 2016 – Report” as a PDF file