EEF

Soon to go ‘live’ is the new Apprenticeship Levy; however there is a new report which warns that it is still being viewed by many manufacturers as a tax on business, with many more firms potentially falling into scope than previously expected. Even though the manufacturing sector has warmed to some of the Levy’s perceived benefits, still over a third of manufacturers (34%) claim to see no benefits to the scheme at all:

Taking part in a national drive to help UK manufactures prepare for the next, digitally-driven, industrial age, Swindon-based Excalibur will be joining forces with EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, and Oracle, to host a special South West Manufacturing Connect event on the 14th March (9.30am to 1pm).

  Urging the Chancellor to maintain his focus on driving up productivity and pressing ahead with infrastructure investment in the forthcoming Budget, British manufacturers are trying to ensure that businesses are teed up for the post-Brexit success.

Across the UK talented apprentices and dynamic manufacturers were recognised as national manufacturing champions at the EEFFuture ManufacturingAwardsheld in London last week. The biggest winner on the night was Advanced Insulation, which scooped two awards and was crowned Winner of Winners – a title awarded to the most outstanding company amongst all the category winners.

  It has been revealed that Infor will be playing a major role this year in helping to drive digital awareness at the National Manufacturing Conference. The company will be leading a ground breaking new session on digitising supply chains in a global environment.

An open day is being held by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation at its training centre in Aston, Birmingham. The event takes place on Saturday 11th February and is part of a drive to promote high quality apprenticeship opportunities and help leading local employers and would-be apprentices find their perfect match.

It has been announced that a new partnership deal has been agreed between EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation and Broadstone. The move will see Broadstone providing pensions support - including advice, guidance, implementation and management services - to EEF members. It will be named as an official EEF Advantages partner – joining EEF’s scheme of third party providers carefully selected to help its members save money and grow their businesses.

A free webinar ‘Be Business Ready - the 4IR journey’ has been announced by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, as its next step to help UK manufacturers to gear up for 4IR. The webinar takes place 26th January and will bring two of EEF’s leading 4IR experts together - Martin Strutt, Consultancy Director, and Chris Richards, Senior Business Environment Policy Adviser - to help manufacturers understand what 4IR really is, what it means and what they need to do about it.

This year is expected to be another year of risks for UK manufacturers, however by gearing up to hit challenges head-on will allow manufacturers to put up a good fight, according to this year's annual Executive Survey from EEF, the manufacturers' organisation.

Parents, teachers, employers and of course students are being urged and encouraged to make 2017 the year to inspire the next generation of manufacturers and engineers in the UK. EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation is keen, following concerns that young people are missing out on crucial opportunities for a long-term dynamic and well-paid career because they are being put off by out-dated myths and misperceptions about the sector. 

A set of free ‘Top Trumps’ cards have been created by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, to help drive awareness and interest in careers in manufacturing and engineering. Free for anyone to download, the cards are designed to be a fun and informative way to kick start more meaningful conversations between young people, parents and teachers about the wealth of manufacturing career options in the UK.

A new report designed to prime UK manufacturers on the practicalities of 4IR – the fast-approaching 4th industrial revolution has been published by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation. The report aims to break the concept of 4IR down into digestible chunks and help manufacturers make the connection between theory and practice. It uses real-life manufacturing case studies to enable them to then envisage how 4IR technologies and techniques could work in their own business.

The graduation ceremony for a technology training centre saw 22 year-old Jessica Tozer from Gloucestershire being crowned Apprentice of the Year. The annual ceremony took place at the ICC in Birmingham to celebrate the achievements of this year’s group of dedicated apprentices graduating from manufacturing organisation EEF’s training centre in Aston, Birmingham.

The latest benchmarking report, published today by the EEF – The Manufacturers’ Organisation has indicated that pay for engineers is increasing.

UK manufacturers are set to enjoy success at the National Manufacturing Conference in February next year. EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, has announced that the fragrance designer and entrepreneur, Jo Malone MBE, will be joining its line-up of speakers, and will be closing the event with a speech.

  Chief Executive of EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, Terry Scuoler commented on the recent decision made today by the Government to expand Heathrow.

According to the facts and figures from EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation and Santander, British manufacturing is continuing its climb up the global rankings as the UK continues to enjoy an industrial renaissance. Launching the 2016 manufacturing fact card, the data shows that Britain is now the ninth largest industrial nation with an annual output worth $247bn. 

  After a comprehensive review of the Hinkley Point C project, the Government has decided to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation, with a revised agreement with EDF.

Discussing and commenting on the trade data out today, which shows the importance of Heathrow to UK exports, Chris Richards, Senior Business Environment Policy Adviser at EEF, the manufacturer’s’ organisation, said: “Heathrow is a global freight hub for the UK economy, handling over 36% of Britain's non-EU exports by value."

The manufacturers Organisation, EEF, believes, the Parliamentary Advisory Group on Carbon Capture and Storage’s report regarding the future role of CCS in the UK is ‘on the money’ and should now encourage the Government to cement a firm strategy.