Fixing the UK manufacturing skills gap at Make UK

Recorded at Make UK’s National Manufacturing Conference at the QEII Centre in London, Steph welcomes Make UK CEO Stephen Phipson and Enginuity CEO and Make UK Board Member, Ann Watson, on to the podcast to discuss the UK manufacturing skills crisis and solutions.   

Stephen has spent 35 years as a leading industrial figure and has worked directly for government in a number of appointments. He tells us about Make UK’s rich history and role supporting manufacturers with services, including training and running one of the UK’s largest apprentice training centres.  

He also shares his own story of being an apprentice and the prestige it held.  

With the sector facing around 50,000 vocational vacancies and a sharp fall in engineering apprentice starts - from about 130,000 pre-2016 to 45,000 last year after the Apprenticeship Levy - Steph asks Stephen and Ann what needs to happen to ensure a future pipeline of workers in manufacturing and whether the Government is doing enough to support the industry.  

Together they discuss the challenges of an ageing workforce, SME funding and cost pressures, confusion from frequent policy changes, the need to fix Further Education provision, and improve access to levy funds. 

Stephen also offers his own opinion on the role of AI and why we should remain optimistic that it will be beneficial for the sector. 

Watch episode 28

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