Leading UK firms make 5% pledge to bring youth into work
8 October 2013
A group of major UK employers have formed the 5% Club, committing to bridging the skills gap with a target of 5% of UK workers being on a formal training scheme.
Tue, 8 Oct 2013A group of major UK employers have formed the 5% Club, committing to bridging the skills gap with a target of 5% of UK workers being on a formal training scheme.
The club’s founding members are all engineering and/or defence firms QinetiQ, Babcock International, the UK arm of EADS, Atkins, MBDA and Renishaw. While these firms all come from a sector with long-standing talent issues, the club is open to firms from across industry, both public and private.
5% Club members signing the charter are asked to “work toward having a minimum 5% of our UK workforce enrolled on formalised apprentice, sponsored student and/or graduate development schemes within five years”, making a public declaration of this in a document such as their annual report.
In an open letter to the Financial Times, the scheme’s founders write: “Turning almost one million jobless under-25s into the drivers of Britain’s future is both a business and social imperative. Inspiring a generation is not enough: what is called for in this case is investment.”
The launch is supported by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), whose director general John Cridland comments: “Leading firms need to put their money where their mouth is and set a clear example for many more employers to follow.
“It’s time to build a world-class vocational system in the UK instead of looking on enviously at countries like Germany and [those in] the Far East.”
This is far from the first initiative to tackle skills shortage in technical industries. A recent example is Prime Minister David Cameron launching an Institution of Mechanical Engineers scheme, also with a five-year target, in June. Another such scheme is the Talent Retention Solution.
The government has also touted defence as a key area for growth in the UK, with a new strategic vision launched in September.
See below for a video explaining the 5% Club and its goals:
The club’s founding members are all engineering and/or defence firms QinetiQ, Babcock International, the UK arm of EADS, Atkins, MBDA and Renishaw. While these firms all come from a sector with long-standing talent issues, the club is open to firms from across industry, both public and private.
5% Club members signing the charter are asked to “work toward having a minimum 5% of our UK workforce enrolled on formalised apprentice, sponsored student and/or graduate development schemes within five years”, making a public declaration of this in a document such as their annual report.
In an open letter to the Financial Times, the scheme’s founders write: “Turning almost one million jobless under-25s into the drivers of Britain’s future is both a business and social imperative. Inspiring a generation is not enough: what is called for in this case is investment.”
The launch is supported by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), whose director general John Cridland comments: “Leading firms need to put their money where their mouth is and set a clear example for many more employers to follow.
“It’s time to build a world-class vocational system in the UK instead of looking on enviously at countries like Germany and [those in] the Far East.”
This is far from the first initiative to tackle skills shortage in technical industries. A recent example is Prime Minister David Cameron launching an Institution of Mechanical Engineers scheme, also with a five-year target, in June. Another such scheme is the Talent Retention Solution.
The government has also touted defence as a key area for growth in the UK, with a new strategic vision launched in September.
See below for a video explaining the 5% Club and its goals:
