Carat and stick
20 Jan 2009
As explained by Solutia MD Steve Westhead in our Jan/Feb issue, the National Skills Academy Process Industries as well as the Gold Standard now offer an opportunity for real improvement across the chemicals, pharmaceuticals and polymers industries.
The skills academy is different to what has gone before in that it offers employers a central voice for their particular concerns, as well as a cohesive approach to dealing with many of the day-to-day problems they face.
The strength of NSAPI lies in the way it allows employers to tailor training provision to their own particular needs. These efforts will now be supported by a more modular approach to qualifications, leading to the Gold Standard - a concept that has emerged after some deep soul searching by employers, trade unions and academia in the chemicals industry.
2009 is a crucial year for the fledgling academy and its new approach to training. While around 60 major organisations have already signed up to support it, NSAPI needs broad support from across the process sector.
Likewise, it is down to employers to include progress towards the Gold Standard within their core business targets, if this is not to become just another academic exercise.
Faced with contracting markets, there is a danger that employers could miss out on this important opportunity to upskill their workforce, and improve their long-term competitiveness.
For all the advanced technologies that may surround them, people remain the core of any process operation. The energy and skills they apply are central to the value that companies deliver to the market - a point senior managers should bear in mind as they develop strategies to deal with the current global downturn.
