A new £50m three-year agreement between Government and the Cogent Science-based industries, to help beat skills shortages and build a world-class workforce has been announced by Skills Minister the Rt Hon John Denham MP, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
The deal, agreed by DIUS, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Cogent SSC, the Sector Skills Council for the chemicals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries, will help to deliver more highly skilled and qualified workers in a sector requiring 24,000 process operatives in the next five years.
A particular concern in the sector is that Cogent research shows that the current inflow of non-graduates (entry via apprenticeships and vocational qualifications) is insufficient to meet replacement demand in core processing and technician roles. This deficit will increase significantly in the five-year period to 2017, which coincides with the lowest point in 16-18 year-olds in the population. A focus on upskilling and re-skilling the current workforce is a therefore a strategic priority.
Through the sector compact, Cogent will focus the support and funding available through Train to Gain to take action against the priorities set out in the industry's Sector Skills Agreement, including meeting challenging targets for training new entrants and qualifying existing workers.
Outcomes from the new agreement will include:
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10,500 learners achieving 'full' Level 2 qualifications
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5215 learners achieving 'full' Level 3 qualifications
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3000 management & leadership outcomes
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6000 apprenticeships starts
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1500 Skills for Life outcomes
The agreement introduces significant flexibilities into the LSC's Train to Gain funding system to encourage more employers to take advantage of funding for upskilling.
It is aimed at the specific skills needs of the science-using Cogent Sector and a range of value-adding qualifications. Importantly, Cogent's partners, The National Skills Academies for Nuclear and Process Industries, will also work with individual employers and the Train to Gain Skills Brokers to assess their needs and identify support through Train to Gain.
In addition, the funding agreement will support more employers to make the Cogent Skills Pledge, a nationally recognised commitment to help employees gain new skills at work. It builds on the Government's Skills Pledge and shows a company's readiness to invest in people and support the drive for increased skills and qualification levels.
The agreement also commits DIUS, the LSC and Cogent to:
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Work in partnership with Train to Gain skills brokers and the National Apprenticeship Service
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Develop innovative ideas for working with small and large employers to help meet their specific skills needs, using funding available through Train to Gain
The move follows John Denham's consultation on a new right to time to train for employees, an announcement that small and medium-sized business will be the focus of £350m of Government funds to help them train their staff, and a renewed commitment to ensure the skills system delivers appropriately trained people for industries employing the workforce of the future.
Skills Secretary John Denham said: "The Government values the important strategic contribution the chemical, pharmaceutical, nuclear and petroleum industries makes to our national life, and is committed to working closely with the sector to help it attract, train and retain quality staff. We must support businesses to continue investing in skills during the economic downturn as we know that companies that carry on investing in training their staff do better when the economy starts to pick up again. This agreement with Cogent will ensure that employers have access to flexible, world-class training tailored to the specific needs of their business, delivered when and where they need it." | 
