Transport Committee calls for action to secure skills for transport manufacturing

by Kevin Borras

A new Transport Committee report has urged the Government to make the most of once-in-a-generation opportunities to better support the transport manufacturing sector to nurture and grow the skills it needs to thrive.

The Committee’s report calls for action to seize the opportunities aligned to the Government’s legislative agenda on bus and rail services and cleaner fuels. It explores the skills needs of the transport manufacturing sector and suggests a series of recommendations to better attract entrants into the sector and support the retention and development of existing employees, especially women.

The UK has a long and proud history of manufacturing motor vehicles, buses, aeroplanes, trains, ships and their component parts, but there are widespread concerns among manufacturers today as they confront skills shortages in parallel with the rising challenges of transitioning to cleaner and more advanced technologies.

Evidence to the inquiry highlighted specific skills shortages across the aerospace, automotive, maritime and rail sectors, while the Committee heard that that “the journey to net zero has fundamentally transformed the skills required across the automotive and wider transport manufacturing industries”.

To better help address the challenges faced by the sector, the report says that the Department for Transport should gather information from transport manufacturers on how well the UK’s vocational training system is delivering a robust pipeline of skills and should then share those findings across Government to inform further development of vocational training pathways.

It calls for Skills England to consult on the benefits of a ‘competency passport’ that would harness transferrable skills within the transport manufacturing sector and help workers to move between roles.

Elsewhere, the report acknowledges that the Government is seeking to re-balance funding to prioritise younger people but says that its removal of funding for level 7 apprenticeships for people aged 22 and older risks jeopardising the supply of experienced and highly skilled workers for the transport manufacturing sector.

It concurs with a recent Education Committee report that calls for this funding to be brought back for all ages within the eight growth-driving sectors identified in the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

The report notes that there is broad support for the Government’s levy system among transport manufacturers, but notes that constraints imposed by Government on how that levy funding is spent is reducing opportunities to invest in growing skills. It calls for increased flexibilities in spending levy funding, but it also says that the Government should consider whether funding, under its new Growth and Skills Levy, should be withheld if employers fail to deliver against their own diversity targets.

Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury said:

“The UK’s track record of manufacturing motor vehicles, buses, aeroplanes, trains and ships is something we can be proud of. But with the sector facing an array of challenges, how do we harness the talent we have and ensure that the sector continues to thrive?

“Our report sets out a number of recommendations to ensure that we seize the new opportunities out there, especially in growth areas such as electric vehicles and alternative fuels.

“The DfT should start by doing a deep dive to establish whether the UK’s vocational training system is cutting the mustard for young people, who are too often turning away from potentially lucrative and fulfilling careers in the transport manufacturing sector.

“Skills England should explore the idea of a competency passport to help existing workers make the most of their skillsets and the Government should bring back funding for level 7 apprenticeships for people over the age of 22 to ensure that we’re also able to develop the highly skilled workers that the transport manufacturing sector needs. In addition, we think there may be a strong case for making the release of Government levy funding contingent on an employer’s delivery against their own diversity targets in order that the immense talents of women are better acknowledged and supported in the sector.

“These are just some of the ways we could help to ensure that our transport manufacturing sector is not standing still while other nations motor ahead into new growth areas.”

The full report can be downloaded HERE.