Aimed at tackling the skills shortage by helping people to move between roles, the potential benefits of the passport concept should be assessed by Skills England, the committee said.
Published yesterday (28 January), Engine for Growth: Securing Skills for Transport Manufacturing urges the government to “make the most of once-in-a-generation opportunities” to help the sector nurture the skills it needs to thrive.
“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,” a committee announcement said.
Based on findings from a related inquiry, the report explores the skills needs of the sector and suggests a series of recommendations aimed at attracting, retaining and developing employees, especially women. Evidence to the inquiry highlighted specific skills shortages across the aerospace, automotive, maritime and rail sectors, while the committee heard that “the journey to net zero has fundamentally transformed the skills required across the automotive and wider transport manufacturing industries”.
A competency passport could make it easier for workers to move between roles, the report suggests, which is often a challenge despite the value of transferable skills to employers.
The report also calls on the Department for Transport (DfT) to gather information from manufacturers on how well the UK’s vocational training system is delivering a robust pipeline of skills, and then share those findings across government to inform further development of training pathways.
“With the sector facing an array of challenges, how do we harness the talent we have and ensure that the sector continues to thrive?” asked committee chair Ruth Cadbury. “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.
“The government should bring back funding for level seven apprenticeships for people over the age of 22, to ensure that we’re also able to develop the highly skilled workers 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.”
The Railway Industry Association welcomed the findings of the report, and said it was pleased the committee “recognises both the value of the rail manufacturing sector, as well as the challenges it currently faces”.
Policy director Robert Cook said: “With the report recognising that transport manufacturing is within the advanced manufacturing branch of the Industrial Strategy, we urge government to acknowledge this in debates going forward and ensure that rail manufacturing is not left out in conversations about the Industrial Strategy.
“We urge the government to use this report as an impetus for supporting the rail manufacturing sector, particularly to ensure the UK retains a world-class skilled workforce that will support an efficient railway, global exports and high-quality jobs across the country.”
IMechE has also identified skills shortages as a key challenge to the success of the Modern Industrial Strategy, and has called for a comprehensive National Engineering and Technology Workforce Strategy to provide a strong pipeline of skilled engineers.
“Sector workforce strategies are a major step towards addressing skills shortages in the UK and we recommend that the government work with industry to ensure the engineering sector is included. Workforce planning is vital to ensure there is a skilled pipeline of engineers and technicians ready to deliver the strategy’s goals,” said IMechE president Matt Garside in his response to the strategy last June.
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