West Yorkshire manufacturing firm calls for more government action to address national skills gap

Commenting on the issue, Carl Byford, general manager of Aqualand Industries, said: “We are a company that offers fantastic career prospects working with electric vehicles, an industry that is growing rapidly around the world.

"However, we are not seeing young talent entering the manufacturing sector to replace the experienced engineers that are retiring. It’s an issue for us and the entire industry.

“I’m calling on the government to invest in engaging young people with the opportunities that manufacturing offers and to help retrain people from some of the industries that are in decline.”

The Governent has, however, launched a numer of initiatives with the aim of addressing the industry skills gap.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Boosting our nation’s manufacturing skills is key to giving businesses the highly skilled workers they need to grow, which is why we are supporting people of all ages and backgrounds to upskill or retrain at any stage of their career.

“There is a range of government-backed skills training opportunities available from apprenticeships in mechatronics, welding, and aerospace to manufacturing courses available through our fully-funded Skills Bootcamps and Free Courses for jobs schemes.

“T Levels in Engineering and Manufacturing are also on offer to help more young people gain the skills they need to climb the ladder of opportunity.”

In May of this year, the Government launched the £165 million Local Skills Improvement Fund.

The fund allows further education providers to apply for money from the fund to help with renovating facilities, acquiring up-tp-date equipment, and upskilling teachers.

Education providers can also use the fund to enable the delivery of new courses in subjects such as carbon capture, green construction and cyber security.

The most recent analysis from the industry body, Make UK, however, indicates that 36 per cent of manufacturing job openings are now difficult to fill because candidates lack the necessary training, education, or experience.

Comparatively, the average rate across all industries is 24 per cent.

In a bid to help in addressing the skills gap, Aqualand Industries is set to hire four young apprentices from the local area.

Aqualand Industries designs and builds Crazi-bugz and Adventure Trukz for children aged from four to 14 years old. Its vehicles are used in holiday and theme parks across the UK and Ireland.

The company also provides maintenance and service to its customers for its own products and other kit operated by the customer at its locations.

Last month, the firm announced that it expected to see its revenue surpass £1 million for the first time this year due to a boom in people taking holiday’s in the UK, rather than abroad.

The firm noted that the pandemic prompted a rise in Britons choosing to holiday closer to home during periods of restricted travel.