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Friday 30 July 2010

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the aerospace skills agenda

Within AeIGT implementation the People Management Board is focused on supporting the implementation of the sector skills agreement published by Semta in January 2006, looking to ensure that both employer commitments and Government actions are delivered and that there is an increasing coherence between regional and national action on skills for the aerospace industry.

A|D|S and Semta have a Memorandum of Understanding committing both organisations to share resources and deliver better skills and training to the aerospace sector.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding A|D|S and Semta will work together in all aspects of skills development including joint research and analysis, conducting regular benchmarking exercises and integrated communication with academia and funding agencies.


People Management Board

The People Management Board is the A|D|S's governing body for skills. Its membership includes senior representatives from member companies, along with civil servants, regional networks, trade unions and skills providers.

Currently the Board is developing a Skills Roadmap for the aerospace industry which will identify the key skills needed by industry so that government resources and skills provision can be aligned to real demand.

World Skills London 2011

Every two years hundreds of young skilled people from around the world, accompanied by their teachers and trainers, gather together to compete before the public in the skills of their various trades and test themselves against demanding international standards.They represent the best of their peers drawn from regional and nationalskill competitions held in 50 countries/regions.

London will host the WorldSkills International Competition at ExCeL exhibition and conference centre from 6th-9th October 2011.

WorldSkills London 2011 is a great opportunity for young people involved in aerospace to demonstrate their engineering skills, and for aerospace companies to get involved.

UK Skills is developing the Environmental Science Challenge for WorldSkills. More information is available here.

The Engineering Diploma

The Diploma in Engineering is a ground-breaking qualification that teaches young people about engineering in ways that relate to work. It is different in that it has been developed by employers so young people will have the knowledge and approach that employers want.

The Diploma has been developed by the Engineering Diploma Development Partnership, which has worked with employers, universities, schools, colleges and awarding bodies on the Diploma content. Employers already supporting include Rolls-Royce, JCB, RWE npower, BAe, Toyota , Honda, Dyson, MBDA, Jaguar / Land Rover, Rosh Engineering, Boeing, Messier-Dowty and hundreds of others.

The Diploma in Engineering is also actively supported by many professional engineering organizations, such as IMechE, Royal Academy of Engineering, IET, ECUK and Stemnet.

With teaching now underway on the new Diploma in Engineering, more businesses are being encouraged to get involved in its delivery. To find out more, click here.

The National Skills Academy for Manufacturing

The National Skills Academy for Manufacturing (NSAM) is a central part of the government's skills strategy.

NSAM's vision is to create training and education programmes which will set national standards for delivery and help employers to meet the demands of global competition in terms of improved productivity, competitiveness and profitability.

Semta - Aerospace Sector Skills Agreement

Semta the Government licensed Sector Skills Council for the Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies sector, launched the 'Pathfinder' Sector Skills Agreement and action plan in 2005.

Sector Skills Agreements (SSAs) are compacts between employers, their Sector Skills Council (SSC) and providers and those funding education and training. They are designed to ensure that the skills the sector needs are the skills the sector gets'.

A|D|S Regional Partners

A|D|S's regional partners are actively engaged in the skills agenda, reaching out to many SMEs who would not otherwise be able to connect with skills providers.

Careers in Aerospace

The aerospace industry employs 250,000 people and has an annual turnover in excess of £18 billion in the UK. The industry offers numerous opportunities, at many different levels, including modern apprenticeships, graduate development schemes and routes for mature entry.