Leadership and Management training with trainer stood with back to us in front of board table with four men sat around and blurred in the background

With ECITB’s Workforce Census revealing that 49% of employers in the engineering and construction sector are facing difficulties hiring, could reskilling your existing workforce be the solution to tackling shortages?

Reskilling enables employees to develop new skills that will allow them to take on a new position in the company that’s entirely different from what they’re doing now.

According to the ECITB census, 47% of companies that face difficulties hiring attributed it to candidates not having the necessary qualifications, but only 4% have increased training during the pandemic. And the situation is only expected to get worse. The government estimates that by 2024 there will be a shortfall of four million highly skilled workers.

Investing in the reskilling of your workforce can not only help you avoid the challenging recruitment process, but it also improves employee satisfaction and retention too.

Using reskilling alongside upskilling, which involves enhancing or expanding an employee’s skill set so that they can be a more productive contributor to the business, can also help a business identify and develop high-potential, in-house talent.

Sarah Temperton, Chief Executive at NLT Training Services commented: “People seem to look past the reskilling process as a solution for growth in their business. Investing in your team and giving them a chance to enhance their existing skills or learn a completely new one is crucial for the healthy growth, sustainability and success of a business.

“Offering potential new recruits the chance to upskill or reskill while working in the business can also help make the role more attractive. It opens up the role to a wider pool of recruits too. Once they’re recruited you can then focus on moulding that employee’s skillset into what the business requires both now and in the future.”

With automation constantly developing and eliminating the need for a number of roles, it’s estimated that 44% of employees’ current skills in the manufacturing and engineering sectors will need to be replaced by 2025.

NLT Training Services has two strategically located training centres in Scunthorpe and Chesterfield, which are ideally placed to serve the training needs of companies operating in the engineering, construction and manufacturing sectors.

The training centres are led by industry experts who understand the needs of businesses and offer a diverse programme of courses.

To find out more about the training opportunities at NLT, browse the full course catalogue and book online today here, or call 0333 880 3540 for more information.