OCTOBER 2019 COMMENT
Where
it’s at
CHRIS BECK, EDITOR chris.beck@markallengroup.com
In the spirit of Sesame Street, this month’s issue has been brought
to you by the letter T, for training. Even Big Bird, Bert, Ernie and
the rest would be hard pressed, though, to put a positive spin on
Westminster’s approach to vocational training in recent years.
T-Levels, the latest plan by the government to try and bridge the
skills gap facing the industry, are analysed in this month’s cover story
(p16), along with the disaster that is the Apprenticeship Levy.
At every industry event I go to, or roundtable or webinar that I
host, the subject of skills is something that I could be my mortgage on
coming up. The chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering,
Hayaatun Sillem, hit the nail on the head when she said that today’s
young people want to make a diff erence, but are being held back by
simply not knowing how to go about it.
Sillem was commenting on a report that found that three-quarters
of young people do not know what an engineer is or does. This is a
shocking statistic, and one that highlights that people still are of the
opinion that an engineer is the person who comes to fi x the boiler.
Compare that to a country like Germany, where engineers are revered.
It’s going to take more than a new qualifi cation to change that. British
manufacturing is, despite everything, a great place to work – wages
are high, jobs are plentiful (see p6), and companies are producing
products that make a real diff erence to people across the world (p30).
If you know anyone looking to set out on their career, tell them that
manufacturing is where it’s at. C.Beck
Editor Chris Beck
chris.beck@markallengroup.com
Assistant Editor Amy Best
amy.best@markallengroup.com
Art Editor Neil Young
Production Manager Chloe Jeakins
chloe.jeakins@markallengroup.com
Circulation Manager Chris Jones
circulation@markallengroup.com
Sales Director James Slade
07860 715084
james.slade@markallengroup.com
Publisher Luke Webster
luke.webster@markallengroup.com
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Mission statement
Manufacturing Management (MM) celebrates the best of UK manufacturing
and the management teams who make our factories world-class.
With over 70 years of heritage as Works Management magazine, we aspire
to help our readers realise growth in their sites’ productivity and profi t through
the content we provide in every issue.
From lean management techniques to maintenance via the Fourth Industrial
Revolution, MM champions the cause of directors and managers in charge of
the UK’s world-leading sites, o ering them a wealth of best practice ideas.
ISSN 0374 4795
Printed in the UK by Pensord Press
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