July/August 2020

News 0 6 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk July/August 2020 Plant & Asset Management and co-location of events gets green light from the Government to go ahead The UK Government has confirmed it has given the green light for trade exhibitions to go ahead from October this year. One of the first events to be held will be the biennial co- located events; Plant & Asset Management, Drives & Controls, Smart Industry Expo, Fluid Power & Systems, and Air-Tech Exhibitions, organised by DFA Media, which will be taking place between January 25th-27th 2021, alongside MACH. In addition the subcontract manufacturing show Subcon, The Engineer Expo and the Manufacturing Management Show, will also join the co-location of events, which together will be the largest manufacturing event of 2021 and potentially in a generation. The events will take over eight halls of the NEC and are expected to attract many thousands of visitors, who will be able to access all of the events. The previous DFA Media co-location of events in 2018 attracted more than 13,500 visitors, while more than 23,100 attended the MACH event. UK manufacturing is now entering a period of recovery from the lockdown period, and January will be a unique opportunity to present technologies, innovations and solutions in a recovering market that will be eager to take advantage of the lessons learnt over the last few months but also the opportunities that lie ahead. Ian Atkinson, managing director of DFA Media, organiser of the co-location of events, commented: “January 2021 will be a pivotal period for UK manufacturing, therefore Drives & Controls and the co-location of events will be a unique opportunity to help manufacturers source the technologies an strategies they need to help them both recover and take advantage of all the opportunities available to them as well as to celebrate UK manufacturing and engineering’s ingenuity and hard work in the battle against Covid-19.” Ultimately UK businesses are pivoting and seeking growth opportunities in new markets as they seek ways of overcoming the COVID-19 crisis, and it is clear that automation and digitalisation, both of production and of business processes, can no longer be regarded as ‘nice to have’ innovations, they will be central to many firms’ survival. Digitalisation is at the heart of all these strategies as it will make the impossible affordable. In addition plant, asset and maintenance management; compressed air technologies; and fluid power and systems, are critical to the smooth running of the production process, and the on-going manufacturing recovery will rely on these essential technologies and services. All the latest technological innovations to help ensure UK manufacturing takes advantage of all the opportunities available to help them succeed in a post Covid-19 world will be on display throughout Drives & Controls, Smart Industry Expo, Fluid Power & Systems, Plant & Asset Management, and Air-Tech Exhibitions. To find out more please visit: http://www.maintenanceuk-expo.com/ From August 1st the Government will pay employers £2000 for every new apprentice aged 18-24 they take into their business to train in the latest skills and technologies available in manufacturing. And there is a £1500 bonus for companies which hire apprentices aged 25 and over. Make UK can offer training for the whole “pathway of success”, taking new employees from totally unskilled and straight from school at trainee level, through apprenticeship levels 1, 2 and 3 – and all the way to a full university degree. Employers have cited a lack of relevant and accessible training provision as a major barrier to having an apprentice in the past. But now Make UK can deliver training digitally, making it even easier for young people around the country to access our high-quality training remotely no matter where they are based. Getting hold of the right funding can also prove difficult for companies, but the new Government cash is available to all employers. Make UK has a team of specialist people who are expert in drawing down all the funding out there from your DAS account alongside the new cash giveaway from Government. Stephen Mitchell, director of apprentices and technical training Make UK said: “What better time is there to do this and create new apprenticeship opportunities within your business. We have a list of over 2500 young people clamouring for the chance to do an apprenticeship, but we are unable to find a company to sponsor them through the course, so they are unable to start. There is definitely the demand from talented young people desperate to start a career in engineering, but we need more companies to take up this challenge. “Make UK is able to help businesses secure all the funding available, taking a burden away from them and making the process easy for them. Engineering is a well-paid profession, with some of the brightest young minds waiting for their chance to become the next generation of innovators and creators, taking the very latest technologies back to their parent companies.” Almost three-quarters of manufacturers are offering apprenticeships already and almost half continued with their apprenticeships throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Since we opened our state-of-the art technology hub in 2013, Make UK has trained 1700 apprentices, with women accounting for 10% of the 2019/20 intake. Call for manufacturers to create the next generation of innovators with Government apprenticeship giveaway