Sharing project is flying high
A project to upskill aerospace companies across the country was named Britains best for skills innovation at the prestigious Semta Skills Awards.
Above:
(left to right) SEMTA Operations Director Malcolm James and Andy Page.
Sharing in Growth beat off strong competition to win the Skills Innovation award, sponsored by Siemens, at the Semta Skills Awards 2018 gala dinner in London hosted by BBC presenter Steph McGovern.
Sharing in Growth was created five years ago to upskill the employees of aerospace SMEs to achieve around 20% in competitiveness improvement.
Each company commits to a four-year programme with significant Government funding to double the size of their businesses.
Andy Page, chief executive of Sharing in Growth, based in Derby with a team of 110 nationwide said: “It is an awesome feeling to win this award. There is a team of us who have been working for five years – we think we are doing something meaningful, worthwhile and this award means we are doing it well.”
There are currently 64 firms on the Sharing in Growth programme across the UK, ranging in size from £6 million to £70 million turnover. Over 3,000 jobs have been secured, so Sharing in Growth is well on track to achieve its target of 10,000 jobs by 2022.
Sharing in Growth now includes annual awards, a best practice sharing event and a recently launched online learning hub featuring training materials, teach-points and around 50 best practice case studies to share and sustain change.
It has created a new model for successful industry/government partnership as a multi-faceted, multi-year programme from one provider, featuring world-class experts, to drive tailored business transformation.
Ann Watson, CEO of Semta, the not-for-profit organisation tasked with skilling engineering and manufacturing in the UK said: “Sharing in Growth is a very deserving winner of the Semta Skills Award. It has being having a real impact on upskilling the supply chain in the UK’s vital aerospace industry.
“In this, the Year of Engineering, it is more important than ever to showcase such innovation in the sector and celebrate success.
“If we are to achieve the 800,000 extra engineers we need over the next few years, it is vital we have more initiatives like Sharing in Growth to keep the skills talent pipeline flowing.”
The other Skills Innovation of the Year award category finalists were: Robot Training Platform (a partnership of Jaguar Land Rover, BlocDigital and ABB) and Harlow Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Centre (HAMEC).
Full list of winners:
APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR (sponsor MBDA UK Ltd)
Winner: Judith Mair, Rolls-Royce
Runners up: Joe Alistair Kennie, Yamazaki Mazak UK Ltd and Jay Ahmed, Ryder Ltd
HIGHER APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR (sponsor The Education & Training Foundation)
Winner: Thomas French, KMF Group Ltd
Runners up: Rebecca Fisher, Rolls-Royce and Shannon Lynch, Jaguar Land Rover
SKILLS CHAMPION OF THE YEAR (sponsor BAE Systems Plc)
Winner: Paul Fitzpatrick, Toyota Manufacturing (UK) Ltd
Runners up: Jayne Little, Skills 4 Ltd and Michelle Nolan-McSweeney, Network Rail
SKILLS INNOVATION OF THE YEAR (sponsor Siemens)
Winner: Sharing in Growth
Runners up: Harlow Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Centre (HAMEC) and Robot Training Platform – Jaguar Land Rover in Collaboration with ABB and BlocDigital
TRAINING PARTNER OF THE YEAR (sponsor Rolls-Royce plc)
Winner: City College Plymouth
Runners up: Coleg Cambria and Babcock International Group in partnership with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
SME INVESTMENT IN SKILLS (sponsor Jaguar Land Rover)
Winner: Metalcraft
Runners up: Lander Automotive Ltd and Superior Seals
TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR (sponsor EAL)
Winner: Andrew Franklin, Perkins Engines Company Ltd
Runners up: Ethan Davies, Electroimpact UK Ltd and Rob Naylor, Lockheed Martin UK
DIVERSITY IN ENGINEERING (sponsor Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions)
Winner: Siemens Rail Automation
Runners up: Babcock International Group and Transport for London