Spiral Construction

The skills challenge

SME manufacturers in Cornwall are finding it difficult to access the training they need to develop and grow their organisations due to high costs and poor economies of scale. As a result of the economic climate and technology developments they are finding it increasingly difficult to change their businesses to meet these challenges. Training, although viewed as important, is often considered to be too expensive.

The solution

To address this, a collaboration of (at least) 12 SME employers, led by Spiral Construction, will work to identify and commission the bespoke training they believe will have the greatest impact on their future growth.

The employers have identified four key areas of skills need:

• Apprenticeships: The employers identified that existing Apprenticeship programmes are ‘difficult’ to fit into their own processes. As a result, the SMEs have identified the need for a ‘cross company’ Apprenticeship for those in manufacturing. The employers will work together to develop an innovative level 3 Apprenticeship specifically for SME manufacturers, creating a delivery mechanism more suitable to the needs of the sector. present none of the companies involved currently employ Apprentices. The project will create more opportunities for more young people, delivering a minimum of 11 new Apprentice places initially and more in the future.
• Marketing: Through the initiative the SMEs will improve their marketing capabilities, focusing on currently untapped opportunities the internet presents them. Employees will attend training to develop integrated, multi-channel marketing plans, combining traditional and digital tools and techniques with appropriate multi-channel metrics to assess performance. Training will be delivered in Cornwall, negating the need for substantial travel and resulting loss of time.
• A design ‘community’: Several of the companies involved in the consortium identified the need to find new ways to diversify and / or meet increased demands for individualised products from their customers. The SMEs will work together to develop a manufacturing ‘design’ community, allowing for collective development of ideas, products and solutions. Working with University College Falmouth, a programme of five one-day workshops will be developed and delivered covering a mixture of design and software skills.
• Continuous improvement: For many SMEs, lean production techniques and reducing waste is essential if they are to remain competitive. With training costs of approximately £1,000 per day for up to 20 days, it is a substantial outlay that can put it beyond the means of many smaller companies. Using previously tried and tested providers that have worked with larger manufacturers in Cornwall, investment will deliver one set of 20 days in each of two years, for 10 individuals per year. There is a clear expectation that waste and cost will be reduced by a minimum of 10% across the board.

Impact

The Employer Ownership of Skills pilot provides the opportunity to develop a strong and supportive network of smaller manufacturers to become more able to commission the skills delivery they need by enabling a collective approach to their design and delivery. This will be a key legacy of the project when the public funding has ceased.

Investment

Employer investment: £549,375
Employer Ownership Pilot Funding: £312,960
Total: £862,335

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