Work-wise ‘can plug skills gap’
ONE of South Yorkshire’s best-known businessmen, Kevin Parkin, said the region’s Work-wise scheme can help plug “the huge skills gap” in the UK’s manufacturing and engineering sectors.
The employability and work experience programme, of which Mr Parkin is chairman, has been running since 2009.
It has introduced a two-week summer camp, which will run during July and August with up to 200 places for 14-16 year olds at manufacturing and engineering companies in South Yorkshire. Mr Parkin is the MD of Knight Warner, the Chesterfield-based industrial automation specialist. He previously led the turnaround at Davy Markham, the heavy engineering firm. He said companies in manufacturing and engineering are “finding it difficult to recruit skilled people”.
Companies involved in the scheme include AESSEAL, Newburgh Engineering and Chimo Holdings. Visit www.be-sy.co.uk/work_wise/