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Taking on apprentices, while critical for long-term growth, can feel like an unnecessary investment when immediate productivity is the priority. In a high-cost, highpressure environment, every employee must contribute from day one
and Battery Manufacturing. By allowing funding to be used for shorter, modular training and not just full apprenticeships, businesses can respond more quickly to emerging skills gaps.
This flexibility is critical in a volatile world. When confidence dips, training is often paused. A more adaptable model, combining shorter courses, modular pathways and flexible delivery, enables investment to continue even during periods of uncertainty. In effect, it turns skills from a fixed cost into a strategic lever.
Simplifying the system and reducing administrative burden will also be key to driving uptake, particularly among SMEs. Greater alignment between training provision and regional labor market needs should help ensure that investment translates directly into productivity gains.
MTC Training: from insight to action
At the Manufacturing Technology Centre( MTC), this principle is already shaping action. Short upskilling and reskilling courses in critical skills such as dual skilling engineers in electrical and mechanical skills are highly successful. In fact, some 79 percent of apprentices on our engineering apprenticeship programs complete and achieve their apprenticeship. We also identify skills needed in the future in manufacturing and convert these insights into training to support the adoption of new technology for the sector.
This approach is being extended through the launch of MTC Training Tyneside, a new center which helps employers in the North East with apprenticeships and upskilling. By combining hands-on training in areas such as mechatronics, engineering maintenance and manufacturing support, with direct industry collaboration, the aim is to help businesses of
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