10 June 2009: The National Skills Academy Process Industries is appealing for industry figures to come forward and join its National Board, as it builds momentum in helping employers to address crucial skills issues and boost competitiveness.
The skills academy is particularly interested in applications from people in the Bio-technology field, and from those in the formative years of their process industries careers.
“We were created by employers for employers, so it is vital to the success of our work that we are led by employers,” said Chief Executive Phil Jones.
“Employer involvement lies at the hard of the future survival and prosperity of our industry, and our Board members play a leading role in driving strategic direction and influencing the nationwide skills and training agenda.
“We appreciate that everyone is under time pressures, so we ask for an initial commitment of just one year, involving four Board meetings.
“We are keen to stress that our Board is not just another talking shop. It is made up of industrialists who understand first-hand the skills issues common across the industries, and who can apply their extensive knowledge and experience to help steer our activities.”
The National Skills Academy was officially launched in January 2008 and is ahead of targets in its second year, with a membership that represents over 20% of the UK process industries workforce.
It now has 26 public and private sector training organisations in its nationwide network of specialists providers, whose industry-focussed products and services have been assessed to nationally-agreed standards.
“Age is no barrier to being appointed to the Board,” said Phil.
“We are looking for committed, dynamic individuals from a broad representation of industries, whatever their age. This diversity allows us to tap into a wide range of talent and viewpoints, and better serves our members.
“We also very much welcome applications from those in small businesses, to keep our spread representative of all sizes of organisations.”
Anyone interested in an informal chat about applying should contact Bev Robinson on tel. 01325 740900 or email b.robinson@process.nsacademy.co.uk.