TPi May 2016

business & market news

Industrial Cadets: from conversation to National Skills Initiative in five years

Five years ago, a conversation between HRH The Prince of Wales and Jon Bolton, at the time director, Tata Steel Long Products, started an initiative in improving the workplace experiences of young people, helping inspire and inform them about their local industries. Industrial Cadets has since developed into a national accreditation for work experiences, emphasising skills development and knowledge of career opportunities. Industrial Cadets is growing rapidly, with support from government, and leadership drawn from many of the UK’s manufacturing and engineering companies. Industrial Cadets started in 2011 as a workplace experience programme run by Tata Steel in the northeast of England, and developed from this so that in 2013 HRH The Prince of Wales was able to announce the national launch of the programme as an employer- led initiative, under the management of education charity EDT (the Engineering Development Trust). In 2014 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced funding for the further development of Industrial Cadets. There are now more than 3,500 Industrial Cadets, drawn from over 1,000 schools. More than 200 companies have run Industrial Cadet accredited programmes, and over An inaugural forum on improving efficiency in the plastics industry, staged by the European Plastics Distributors Association (EPDA) at Gehr GmbH’s plant in Mannheim, Germany, was declared an outstanding success. Gehr, a manufacturer of thermoplastic semi-finished products, plates, rods and tubes, was chosen to host the first Distributors Forum organised by the EPDA, which included a tour of the company’s facilities during the two-day event.

HRH The Prince of Wales meeting Industrial Cadets

is so important for the future of UK industry,” said Mr Bolton. “Industrial Cadets allows young people to see the industries in their local area, understand the careers that they offer, and it takes the first steps in providing employability skills which will equip them for those careers. From that first conversation with HRH The Prince of Wales five years ago, an organisation of substance and great value has emerged. Industrial Cadets is growing quickly to make an important contribution to UK skills.”

400 employees have been trained as mentors.

More than 95 per cent of cadets identify an improvement in their work- relevant skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, communication and organisation and planning. Importantly for the vision of Industrial Cadets, 70 per cent of the cadets taking part feel they are more likely to go into industry as a result of being an Industrial Cadet – a key objective.

“It is a privilege to have been part of the development of an initiative which Industrial Cadets – UK www.industrialcadets.org.uk EPDA distributor forum declared a success

Helmut Gehr gave the opening address, followed by EPDA president David Ladyman and Gehr sales and marketing director Thorsten Fuessinger. The first seminar – How the 4 th Industrial Revolution Could Improve Efficiency in the Plastics Industry – was presented by Eva Bognor MSC, a research associate at the Institute for Factory Automation and Production Systems. The following day, Mr Ladyman led a discussion group before a presentation by Thilo Bischoff, head of product management at BASF

SE, on Developments and Trends in Engineering Plastics. There were also opportunities on each day of the event for members to network over dinner or lunch. EPDA, formed in 1973, represents companies involved in a cross section of distribution activities encompassing plastic sheet, blocks, rods, profiles, tubes, pipe, valves, fittings and numerous related activities.

EPDA – UK www.epda.com

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Tube Products International May 2016

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