ChemiCol offers training solutions
Chemical companies in northwest England are to benefit from the launch of ChemiCol, a company dedicated to offering training solutions
Chemical companies in northwest England are to benefit from the launch of ChemiCol, a company dedicated to offering training solutions for the industry.
The initiative is backed by £600,000 of extra funding from the Learning and Skills Council as part of its national Centre of Vocational Excellence programme
Research shows that the chemical industry is facing a skills shortage, with 66% of the workforce under-qualified in the northwest alone and 80% of employers reporting skills gaps in their workforce.
A greater cause for concern is the demographic timebomb facing the industry: 27% of the workforce is aged over 50 and 11% are under 30, meaning that there will be a huge shortfall in the workforce over the next 10 years.
It is in response to this skills shortage that the UK government has established the Centre of Vocational Excellence for the Chemical Industry in the northwest.
ChemiCol is a partnership between North Trafford College, Manchester and TTE Training Limited of Ellesmere Port. Both North Trafford College and TTE Training have experience in providing quality training packages to industry in general and to the chemical and pharmaceutical industries specifically.
Training courses on offer include: process operator; engineering; NVQs; apprenticeships; health and safety; IT; management; and pharmaceuticals. However, training courses can be customised to suit a par-ticular company's needs.