Articles

Nicholas Wyman tours Medway UTC

Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation CEO, Nicholas Wyman, yesterday visited Medway UTC (University Technical College) in the UK.

Medway UTC, located on the Chatham Waters regeneration site in Chatham Maritime, Kent, is a new secondary school which aims to develop in students the skills that employers require.

This new school, which officially opened in September this year, offers a unique educational pathway for 14-19 year olds who want to kick-start their career in two of the most important industries worldwide.

@MedwayUTC students delighted to received their signed books from @nicholas_wyman Thank you #opportunity @ukEdge

Here students gain hands-on, practical tuition in engineering and construction, with a focus on design technologies, alongside traditional academic studies. They also learn in an environment that looks and feels like a modern, 21^st century workplace.

The school’s strategy is common to IWSI CEO Nicholas Wyman’s vision in offering students clear pathways into future jobs and providing them with the right skills they need to achieve this.

Like Mr Wyman, Medway UTC believes meaningful employment for today’s school leavers can be realised through strong industry partnerships.

The Kent based school has teamed up with world leading partners including BAE Systems, Delphi Diesel Systems, BAM Construction, Bouygues Construction, the University of Greenwich, the Royal School of Military Engineering and Mid Kent College.

Medway UTC offers schools partnerships with leading employers, colleges and universities to provide students with the opportunity to gain career connections before they graduate high school.

Link to the school’s website: http://medwayutc.co.uk/medway/

IWSI CEO talks ‘middle skills’ gap at Edge Annual Lecture in London

The chief executive of the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation recently took to the main stage at the Edge Annual Lecture 2015 to weigh in on the issue of under-employment that is plaguing the UK.

Keynote speaker Nicholas Wyman addressed the conference which took place on Tuesday 13^th October at Glaziers Hall, London; raising his concerns about the ‘skills gap’ that many parts of the English-speaking world currently faces.

“In the second quarter of 2015, 1.85 million people in the UK were out of work. Nearly half – 47 per cent – were aged 18-24,” Mr Wyman said. “Meanwhile, employers reported more than 730,000 job vacancies.”

Mr Wyman’s key phrase “people without jobs and jobs without people” summed up the skills gap conundrum: at a time of growing skills shortages, there are still high levels of youth unemployment and graduate under-employment.

Former Education Secretary and Chairman of the Edge Foundation, Lord Baker, introduced Nicholas Wyman as the keynote speaker at the Edge Foundation’s Annual Lecture

He said this problem is not unique to the UK and that in the US 14 million people are unemployed, at the same time as 3.5 million positions remain vacant. The story is similar in Canada, where 1.3 million people are unemployed while 350,000 positions are unfilled.

“The situation is the result of school leavers not having the right skills and experience employers are looking for,” Mr Wyman said. The skills gap, he explained, is greatest in the “middle skilled” labour category which includes electricians, machinists, and plumbers, among others. He said this problem cannot continue to be overlooked.

“The UK needs to turn its attention to career and technical high schools; foundation degrees; apprenticeship programmes; and work-based training for adults,” he told attendees.

“Investing in skills building is a powerful way to help grow your organisation, and strengthen the local economy.”

He said the UK needs to pay greater attention to technical and vocational education pathways and move away from the “university for all” approach in order to provide school leavers with valued skills for a productive working life.

Mr Wyman provided his recommendations for reform which included: building better collaboration between training providers and industry; determine where the skills gap exists and link results to skills areas in school curriculums; and get students on the job training while they are still at school.

http://www.edge.co.uk/news/2015/october/edge-annual-lecture

Surgical Technologist: A Great Job That Doesn’t Require a College Degree

By Nicholas Wyman | Forbes | October 10, 2015

About two years ago I was staying at a hotel with my family in Wayne, Pennsylvania, just northwest of Philadelphia. My wife and I woke at 4 a.m. to a parent’s worst nightmare: my three-year-old son, James, gasping for breath, and turning blue. I called 911 while my wife carried James down to the hotel lobby. In minutes, an ambulance with an emergency medical technician (EMT) and a paramedic roared up to the hotel. The two medics diagnosed an attack of the croup, quickly stabilized James and got him to the hospital, where he made a full recovery.

I never got to thank the people who saved James’ life that night. But in the course of my research I’ve met and interviewed other emergency medical personnel with the same skills and dedication. I learned about the paths they took to their jobs – usually a combination of specialized technical courses (Associate’s Degree or Certificate programs) and on-the-job training. None of the people I talked to had started out with a traditional four-year college degree, and all were making a good living in meaningful and fulfilling careers.

I started wondering about other jobs in the healthcare field that are as patient-focused and rewarding as EMT, and don’t require a bachelor’s degree. I had a chance to find out about some when I spoke with Dr. Bryan Albrecht, President of Gateway Technical College in Wisconsin. Gateway has a significant number of Associate Degree and Certificate programs that lead to jobs in the healthcare industry, which the college and its business partners have identified as one with high future job growth.

One field Dr. Albrecht mentioned particularly intrigued me: Surgical Technology.

*Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. PHOTO (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI)*

Surgical technologists work in the operating room with doctors and nurses, maintaining the sterile field, monitoring a patient’s vital signs and keeping track of instruments (if this sounds easy, consider that an average of 300 instruments are required for a large-cavity operation, and up to 600 for longer surgeries). The surgical technologist prepares the operating theatre, prepares the patient, hands the surgeon the correct instruments, and makes sure every sponge or other foreign object is accounted for when the final stitch is closed.

Most people think you need years of advanced schooling at the highest levels to work in an operating room. To those who don’t learn or test well in a classroom – not to mention those unable or unwilling to shoulder the considerable financial burden of a medical or even nursing school education – work of this kind seems out of reach. But here is a field that prepares people for critical roles in the operating room – helping people when they are at their most helpless – with just a focused, two-year training program.
Dr. Albrecht told me the program is especially popular with young people. “Although the average age of our students is 31 – adults doing technical training for specific jobs – most of the people in the surgical technologist program come straight from high school.”

High school students find out about surgical technology and other technical health fields through Gateway’s outreach program, College Connection. The college sends its representatives into high school classrooms to educate students about in-demand, well-paying jobs in the local community, and the students then come to Gateway to tour the campus and state-of-the-art labs, which include four surgical suites and a simulation lab. “They’re as good as the hospital labs,” notes Dr. Albrecht.

The end result is that students who once thought healthcare jobs were limited to either doctor or nurse are exposed to a diverse network of well-paying careers. Starting pay for a surgical technologist is around $43,350 – a good salary for someone who may be just two years out of high school. But this is often just the first step in a long, upwardly mobile career.

Surgical technologists might take additional courses and training to go into specialty nursing areas. Or they might enroll in pre-med courses. Gateway has articulation agreements with local universities that help students make a smooth transition to a four-year college if they choose.

Says Dr Albrecht, “We’ve been expanding pathways, trying to create a clear direction for students from K-12 to 2- or 4-year colleges.”

My personal experience with highly trained medical personnel showed me how vital these fields are, and how rewarding they can be for those who practice them. You don’t need a four-year college degree (plus four years of medical school, and three years of residency!) to become a critical player in the healthcare field. You can get there via specialized training, focused dedication and a deep commitment to helping people. The opportunities are there, and growing.

Read this and more publications by Nicholas Wyman on Forbes here:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholaswyman/2015/10/10/surgical-technologist-a-great-job-that-doesnt-require-a-college-degree/

Edge Annual Lecture 2015 – Keynote Speaker Nicholas Wyman

The Edge Annual Lecture 2015 will take place on Tuesday 13th November at Glaziers Hall, London.

The keynote speaker will be Nicholas Wyman, whose phrase “people without jobs and jobs without people” sums up the skills gap conundrum: at a time of growing skills shortages, there are still high levels of youth unemployment and graduate under-employment in many parts of the English-speaking world.

After delivering his lecture, Nicholas will join a guest panel to debate the issues with the audience.

The Edge Foundation is an independent education charity raising the status of technical, practical and vocational learning.

They believe all young people should have the opportunity to achieve their potential and that the UK’s future workforce needs to be equipped with the skills to be successful in the modern, global economy.

The Edge Foundation aims to help young people develop the skills and expertise vital to a successful career and thus meet the needs of the future economy.

This is an excerpt taken from The Edge Foundation website.

For more detail, including how to attend The Edge Annual Lecture 2015, please visit:
http://www.edge.co.uk/news/2015/september/edge-annual-lecture-2015

To read about The Edge Foundation:
http://www.edge.co.uk/about-edge

To Launch a Successful High-Tech Career, Go to Work in a Factory

By Nicholas Wyman | Forbes | September 21, 2015 |

“Ain’t gonna work in the factory
greasy up my clothes
Ain’t gonna work in the factory
get splinters in my toes”
– from The Factory Girl Song.

640x0 — F-35 Lightning II assembly line workers work on a cockpit at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tom Pennington, file)

Americans believe in factories. According to a study by the Manufacturing Institute, 90% of Americans think a robust manufacturing base is vital to the U.S. economy and many would welcome a manufacturing facility in their community.

But only if someone else is working there, apparently. The same study reveals that very few Americans want to work in manufacturing themselves, and only one in three would encourage their children to pursue manufacturing careers. The younger the respondent, the less attractive manufacturing becomes, with people between the ages of 19 and 33 ranking it dead last as a career choice.
Why this disconnect? Why, if Americans think manufacturing is so important, do so few want to work in the industry or encourage their children to do so?
The main problem is image. Many Americans cling to the outdated notion of manufacturing as low-skilled, menial work. A poll conducted by the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA) found that 61% of teenagers have no interest in manufacturing because they prefer to pursue a “professional” career. They don’t think manufacturing jobs are intellectually rewarding and they don’t see opportunities for career development or advancement in the factory.
Many people also think – incorrectly – of manufacturing as dirty or dangerous, picturing huge, clanking machines on dusty shop floors. With that image in mind, its no surprise that young women, in particular, do not see a future for themselves in that kind of workplace. In fact, women make up only 24% of manufacturing jobs, though they constitute around 50% of the overall U.S. workforce.
These perceptions are reinforced and perpetrated constantly by the media, popular culture, and even the national community of college counselsors that largely refuses to acknowledge – let alone encourage – careers in manufacturing as a viable and attractive option for an ambitious young person.

The problem is, these perceptions are all wrong.

The technological advances of the last few decades have transformed manufacturing workplaces into gleaning, modern state of the art hubs of innovation and industry that bear no resemblance to the factories of yore. Manufacturing today is “smart” and it requires smart people. Modern factories are high-tech and fully networked, relying on complex computers and machines. And factory workers need both production skills and technical knowledge to run them, completely redefining what was once considered “blue-collar” work.
Modern factory workers specialize in engineering, electronics, information technology, robotics, mechatronics, design, and research and development. They understand and repair complex machines and computers, analyze data, and manage production systems in real time. These are challenging, sophisticated jobs that require thought and creativity and problem- solving skill.
Modern manufacturing jobs are not only challenging, but also well-paying. In fact, they pay around 20 percent more than work in other industries, with the average manufacturing worker earning over $77,000 in 2013. Manufacturing executives are willing to pay top dollar for skilled workers precisely because the work is not low-skill or menial.

Due in large part to the unfavorable impression many Americans have of manufacturing careers, there is a profound shortage of skilled workers in the field. The greatest shortages are in technology and computer skills. In other words, in order to stay globally competitive, and keep factories and jobs on our shores, companies desperately need people with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills, as well as strong foundation skills like problem-solving and critical thinking.
The good news is that if you have these skills, you will find plenty of well-paying manufacturing jobs practically at your fingertips. In fact, 80 percent of manufacturing executives say they are willing to pay above market rates to hire qualified people because they are in such short supply. And if you are a woman you may fare even better; the industry is making a particular effort to welcome young women, by taking measures to make them aware of the variety of career options available in manufacturing, and publically recognizing women who currently hold leadership positions in the field.
How does one get the skills for this brave new world of high-tech factory work? Many of the jobs in manufacturing require some post-secondary education, but not necessarily a bachelor’s degree. You can get the requisite in-demand skills through apprenticeship, which combines structured, paid, on-the-job training with classroom learning. You can complete a certification program, and gain a recognized, portable, industry-wide credential. Or you can get an associate’s degree that mixes practical experience with relevant academic study.
The jobs are there, the pay is high, and the opportunities are abundant. It’s a good time to work in the factory.

Raed this and more articles by Nicholas Wyman on Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholaswyman/2015/09/21/to-launch-a-successful-high-tech-career-go-to-work-in-a-factory/