UK glass sector launches new glass academy

Trade body British Glass said it hopes its new ‘Glass Academy’, which will officially be launched on 5 February, will help transform the way it recruits, develops and enhances the people involved in glass manufacturing.

‘Global competiveness’

British Glass chief executive Dave Dalton said: “It is now vital that businesses begin to take the lead in helping Britain fight back and improve our global competitiveness.

“We must ensure we are doing everything possible to attract the best new talent and help our existing workforce to fully realise their potential. The Glass Academy has been created to ensure we can compete internationally with a workforce that is world class.”

Earn-while-you-learn

According to the trade body, taking an earn-while-you-learn approach, the Glass Academy  will offer re-invigorated apprenticeships, continuous professional development and career progression opportunities to every employee. Using a blended learning approach, the modular-style training will be delivered by e-learning, in classroom and at work, depending upon the type of study undertaken.

The Glass Academy is created and supported directly by the industry.

In a statement, British Glass said: “British Glass will also use the Glass Academy to revitalise the apprenticeship model, raising the standard of apprenticeships so that they are seen as a genuinely viable and attractive alternative to academic study and university.”

The Glass Academy is supported by funding from the Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot fund which is run by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) through the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) in partnership with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the Department for Education (DfE).