Advanced Manufacturing Level 4 Non-Statutory (Wales)

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Framework details

Framework ID: FR01292
Issue number: 1
Issued: 13 April 2012

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Advanced Manufacturing Level 4 Non-Statutory (Wales)
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SEMTA

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Purpose

The Higher Apprenticeship framework for Advanced Manufacturing at Level 4 has been designed to provide the manufacturing and engineering sector in Wales with high grade technicians and engineers who have practical skills, combined with a higher education qualification. The programme will facilitate progression to Level 5/6 qualifications and enable apprentices to work towards Incorporated Engineer status.

The manufacturing sector is broader than the remit of any single Sector Skills Council (SSC) therefore, we have worked together as a consortium of SSCs to address this important skills need;

Cogent: chemical manufacturing, nuclear science, oil and gas extraction (also includes process technology, bioscience, polymer and sign making).
Improve: food and drink manufacturing and processing.
Proskills: printing, mineral extraction and processing, health and safety and process and manufacturing of furniture, glass, ceramics, coatings and paper (also includes glazing, building products, wood and mining).
Semta: Science, engineering and manufacturing technologies.


Profile of the advanced manufacturing sector in Wales

• the manufacturing sector in Wales employs approximately 133,000 people across nearly 6,000 establishments, with an estimated 80,000 engineers, scientists and technologists working across the manufacturing sectors;
• of these technical roles, just over a quarter (22,600) are employed in higher-level technical roles made up of 4,800 technicians, 7,400 professional engineers and 10,400 engineering managers.
• the main sub-occupations within the higher-level technical occupations are:
o Technicians - engineering technicians, draughtspersons, laboratory technicians, electrical and electronics technicians and quality assurance technicians.
o Professionals – mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, design and development engineers, production and process engineers and planning and quality control engineers.
o Managers – production, works and maintenance managers, research and development managers and quality assurance managers.
• just over half of this workforce is qualified to NVQ Level 4 or equivalent and above which leaves just under half with qualifications below Level 4 or the equivalent;
• the workforce is predominantly white, male, with around 86% aged in the 25 – 60 range, which means that the workforce is aging;
• there are around 400 vacancies per year with employers reporting around 100 of these vacancies being hard to fill as one third of applicants did not have the required technical and practical skills;
• around 4,400 employees have skills gaps in higher-level occupations in the manufacturing sector made up of 1,280 technicians, 970 professionals and 2,150 managers.


Challenges facing the advanced manufacturing sector in Wales

• there is a demand from employers to increase the number of employees qualified to level NVQ Level 4 or equivalent and above in order to increase productivity and for them to remain competitive;
• the workforce is aging and 3,400 higher-level technical workers (690 per annum) are required over the period 2012-2016 to replace those retiring in Wales;
• despite the recession, manufacturing employers still show a substantial demand for new recruits. In 2009, 3% of manufacturing establishments in Wales had vacancies for higher-level occupations. Of those manufacturing sites with vacancies for higher-level occupations:
o 16% had vacancies for technicians,
o 7% had vacancies for professionals
o 12% had vacancies for managers.

• there are 400 higher-level vacancies, made up of 70 technicians, 190 professionals and 140 managers

• employers experiencing difficulties in filling higher-level occupations report that this impacts on their business by increasing the workload for other staff, increases operating costs, difficulties introducing new working practices and in meeting quality standards, delays in developing new products and services and loss of business orders to competitors;
• the incidence of higher-level occupational skills gaps in the manufacturing sector increases by size of establishment, ranging from 4% of micro-sized establishments, 13% of SMEs and 47% of large establishments;
• the importance of higher-level technical roles to manufacturing is growing. In 2001, higher-level technical roles made up 13% of total manufacturing employment. By 2010 this figure was 17%. This trend is expected to continue, with jobs in medium to low-level skilled craft and operator occupations projected to decrease their share of total employment during 2012 to 2016;
• for those establishments with higher-level technical skills gaps, it is expected that staff would mainly need to acquire new skills or knowledge in the next 12 months as a result of introducing new working practices, developing new products or services, and the introduction of new technologies or equipment;.
• between 2012 to 2016, there is expected to be a net requirement across the manufacturing sectors in Wales for 3,400 higher-level technical roles (600 technicians, 1,000 professional engineers and 1,800 engineering managers). This would equate to a total annual requirement for 690 people (130 technicians, 200 professionals engineers and 360 engineering managers). The majority of this requirement will be due to retirements (12% of the current workforce in higher-level technical occupations is aged 60 plus).

 

In order to meet the challenges to fill higher-level occupational skills gaps, manufacturing employers have increased training activity/spend or they are increasing and expanding trainee programmes, such as apprenticeships.

Employers are supporting this higher apprenticeship in advanced manufacturing because it provides a cost effective, comprehensive package of qualifications, rather than using stand alone qualifications, which can lead to Incorporated Engineer status to meet their higher level skills needs.

The competence and knowledge qualifications in this framework contribute to general competence as measured in the Engineering Council’s UK specification and is endorsed by IMechE, IET and the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).

There are currently six pathways in this framework covering a wide range of job roles in advanced manufacturing and engineering and which broadly fit into the higher-level skills requirements for the following sectors: 

  • Aerospace
  • Mechanical
  • Electrical/Electronics
  • Maintenance
  • Automotive
  • Wind Generation

 

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Advanced Manufacturing Level 4 Non-Statutory (Wales)
(PDF document 4.15 MB)