Proskills proposals force industry to confront training vacuum

The packaging industry doesn't seem to be getting the most out of training, though. Since it split from the Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies sector skills council (SSC) in 2006, it has been left out in the cold as other industries battle for a share of the government's £10bn vocational training budget.

But a highly trained and motivated workforce will be essential if UK packaging is to reverse the transfer of work to low-cost economies. As quality in developing countries increases, so too could the wages demanded by skilled employees, but there will be little incentive for customers to return to the UK if the industry here is struggling to keep up.

Without a proper training strategy, and funding, it will also be very difficult for it to attract and retain young people to fill the void left as its ageing workforce retires.

So it's very significant that Proskills, the SSC that already counts the printing and glass industries as members, is now consulting on adding packaging to its remit (see page 2).

Its existing members (it's also about to take on the paper industry) are natural bedfellows for packaging, meaning there will be opportunities to develop joined-up initiatives that could bring benefits throughout the supply chain.

And packaging will be given every opportunity to confront its own unique challenges through an employer-led packaging industry body.

Consultation takes place over the next two months. It might be some time before another opportunity arises to address such a crucial issue, and one that could ultimately decide the fate of your business.

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