Engineering: Skilled Workers

Mr. Olner
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of future engineering skills needs.

Mr. Lammy
I have been asked to reply.

The assessment of future engineering skills needs is led by SEMTA, the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies sector. SEMTA has produced sector skills agreements (SSAs) for the aerospace, automotive, electronics and marine sectors in 2005-06. Each SSA identifies current workforce development and skills needs, sets out future skills needs and key skills requirements. SSAs are supported by an action plan which identifies the proposed ways in which the needs will be met. Government are working with the SSC and many other delivery partners to take these actions forward.

Summary documents on the Aerospace, Automotive and Electronics SSA and the Marine SSA have been placed in the Library. Full reports of these can be viewed on the SEMTA website at:

www.semta.org.uk.