There are many reasons for businesses and institutions to equip young people with the skills needed to thrive in today’s world. It can boost productivity and innovation, make work more rewarding, and help UK industries remain competitive amid the various technological shifts that have been collectively dubbed the fourth Industrial Revolution.
However, one reason that often gets overlooked when thinking about investing in skills is the opportunity it affords to improve accessibility, diversity and inclusion in the workforce – particularly in industries and areas that haven’t traditionally been regarded as accessible to all groups.
One example of a rapidly evolving sector is the security industry. “There’s a lot changing in security,” says Simon Banks, chairman of Skills for Security, a body that works with employers and educational institutions to provide apprenticeships in the fire and security systems industry. “We’re swapping screwdrivers for tablets – a lot is wireless technology now.”
Banks explains how focusing on improving skills has also been an opportunity to change people’s preconceptions about the industry, break down barriers, and generate a more diverse talent pipeline.
“The security industry is not a career choice for young people. Aged 14 they don’t go and see their careers adviser who says: ‘There’s this multi-billion-euro industry that nobody’s heard of called the security sector. Fancy a job? Because it pays really well, it’s really cool …’ Nobody says this, so everybody who arrives in our industry arrives by accident.”
Skills for Security has been working with WorldSkills UK, a partnership between education, industry and UK governments that works to raise standards in technical education and apprenticeships, champions future skills and empowers young people to succeed. Banks says that collaborating with WorldSkills UK has helped to give Skills for Security a platform in front of students from different backgrounds, as well as educational establishments across the UK. “In the security industry, we need 30,000 more engineers because we’re losing them at a rate of knots through retirement or churn,” he adds. The industry therefore needs different and creative ways to attract future talent.
Skills for Security combines working with established educational institutions with teaching from five of its own centres across England, including its flagship in Warrington, a brand new site in Watford, and one in Scotland. It is also the organising partner for the WorldSkills UK Competitions programme in electronic security systems and fire detection and alarm systems, which sees 150 engineers competing from across the country to test their skills in timed-pressured conditions and be named the best in the UK.
Marion Plant, WorldSkills UK chair and the principal and chief executive of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire college, says the competition-based training format can inspire young people and enables everyone who takes part – whether or not they win – to enhance their CV.
WorldSkills UK has created competition-based training programmes through partnerships with businesses and industry experts. These competitions assess an individual’s knowledge, and test their practical skills using tasks derived from real life, industry-based scenarios in a timed environment. “We are all working together to try to inspire young people through careers advocacy, into relevant and sustainable careers,” says Plant. “Some of those are fairly non-traditional. And of course, we need to have an eye to the future. Where are the jobs going to be in the next few decades?”
This is where businesses sharing the same mindset come on board. Engineering company Fanuc is the WorldSkills UK competition organising partner for industrial robotics. Oliver Selby, Fanuc UK and Ireland head of sales, says he hopes the competitions will help address the skills gap the UK is facing in the sector. “We wanted to make sure we had education systems in place globally that aligned the future workforce with what automation can deliver.”
Describing Fanuc’s partnership with WorldSkills UK, Selby says: “We have a facility in Coventry that delivers training to end users, but also to schools, colleges and lecturers who deliver those future robotics courses.”
Fanuc runs a number of different courses that offer training to those studying for their GCSEs through to degree level. “We ensure that our younger engineers are seen to be the ones that engage [with other WorldSkills UK participants],” says Selby. “Young people are inspired by young people.”
He says the partnership with WorldSkills UK has helped open doors to Fanuc for those who might not have seen robotics automation as a viable career. On the benefits to future employers, Selby notes: “Students who have competed at WorldSkills UK are much more viable in the workplace. They feel more comfortable, or confident, in a work setting. Competition is healthy when it’s applied in the right way. If you’re thrown into the mix, but you’ve been given the training, then it’s a healthy situation to be in, isn’t it?”
Generating a diverse talent pipeline also includes giving opportunities to those with special educational needs. One of Plant’s own employees at North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire college, Pami Johal, has been given the pioneer award at WorldSkills UK’s annual Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Heroes Awards. This is an opportunity to shine a light on outstanding work by students, apprentices, employees and employers within the technical education sector, in particular those showing a commitment to promoting and supporting diverse and inclusive practices.
Johal received her award for helping to develop and implement a framework that has enabled learners with special educational needs or disabilities to become part of the WorldSkills UK portfolio of competitions. “Students who’ve never ever had the chance to display their talent, to push themselves beyond where they are and what other people might think is their limit,” says Plant. “Pami has been instrumental in the engagement of my college into those competitions. And for the last few years we’ve been at the top of the league table. That’s driven real cultural change in the college, it’s created a level of ambition for all our students to do better and to be valued – and find their roles in a productive society.”
Register for the WorldSkills UK International Skills Summit: International Skills Summit 4: Skills for the future – WorldSkills UK
