Skills minister David Lammy has unveiled the National Skills Academy for the Process Industries.
The academy covers chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and polymer industries and is designed to tackle sector specific skills shortages by standardising training across an industry which contributes £23bn to the economy and employs 420,000 people.
It joins the skills academies for construction, manufacturing, food and drink manufacturing, and financial services. A sixth, the National Skills Academy for Nuclear has also recently been approved by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
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More than 50 employer organisations have pledged £1m to set up the new academy, which anticipates up to 16,000 learners over the next five years. Skills minister David Lammy said: “I am delighted that process industry employers have seized upon the skills academy initiative. This demonstrates a clear commitment on their part to ensuring that skills continue to drive the growth of this important sector.”
Chris Banks, chair at the Learning and Skills Council said: “The national skills academy network gives employers a direct influence over the training of their current and future workforce, and I am delighted that employers within the process industry are taking collective action to address the skills and training needs of their sector in this way.”
