There are engineers there, not that we'd know it

According to a recent report in the Daily Telegraph, 37% of engineering employers struggle to recruit engineers, compared with 16% nationally.

Yet only 6% of over 57,000 graduates who studied science, engineering and technology subjects in 2010 went on to be employed in manufacturing.

Meanwhile the general skills levels remain below those proposed in the Leitch Review in 2004, with an ageing engineer population (see chart, courtesy of SEMTA)


How can we encourage more students into an engineering career?

Statistics show that four of the top ten best-paying degrees are in engineering subjects, so pay prospects shouldn't be an issue. Though more needs to be done to overcome this perception.

The DT report suggests many budding engineers unsuccessfully apply to oversubscribed schemes at blue-chips, are unaware of other opportunities, so drift into other sectors, 14% went into retail for example.

So is the problem one of awareness of opportunities?

Awareness by students that there are plentiful opportunities in the SME sector?
Awareness by the SME sector on how to engage with the student community?

Several schemes exist to forge this link from as early as Year7 onward. The Engineering Development Trust are one such organisation, they run a variety of schemes to capture engineering interest early and develop ongoing relationships with local businesses, culminating in pre-graduate schemes such as the Engineering Education scheme.

For those wanting a more vocational approach, the new Studio Schools , which include work experience in the curriculum, present a fresh approach to address the business call for 'work ready' students

Universities offer employer engagement services to place students, not just for permanent employment but transition schemes such as internships, knowledge transfer and /or innovation partnerships and secondments.
From my experience most take-up here is from blue-chips, whereas SME's have a lot, possible the most to gain from the variety of services available, some of which offer funding options.

All of these schemes are currently blighted by the austerity measures, however, from what I hear there are many funding applications lodged with expectation (and hope) of approval in the coming months.

I'm gathering as much information on this subject as possible to help improve the awareness of the options within the business community to help bridge the gap in an appropriate and affordable way.

Meanwhile, for advice or more information on these issues, contact me via Headway B2B

 Link to full Daily Telegraph article

No second chances to make a first impression

For many September is the start of the most important period for getting new business.

The latest Bank of England inflation report makes for grim reading (see link below), with all indications that growth in market demand will continue to be weak.

If this is so, then surely being the best in your sector, creating a great first impression and taking market share is more important now than ever?

Hold that thought.

Now, ask yourself, which of these is the better deal?

Spend £1,000 on a small, one-off promotional campaign for your business.

OR

Spend £1,000* on improving up to 20 of your employees' presentation and communication skills for the long term.

The old adage still holds true, your business succeeds only through your people. The better they perform, the better the results. No amount of gloss or fluff will cover up poor customer service.Every pound spent on people skills is worth much more than a pound spent on promotion campaigns.

So, is everybody in your organisation ready to take full advantage of any sales opportunity?

Is everybody who connects with your customers trained in how to present your offer in the best way?

If I call your company, will I get the same, positive response from anybody I speak to?

Do you sell via wholesalers or agents? If so, are they presenting your business professionally?

If you answered Yes to all of the above, you stand a good chance of making some ground.
If in doubt, or No, then it may be worth calling me to see how I can help.

*If you employ 5 or more, there may be matched funding of up to £1,000 available.


Nigel Knapp

Tel : 07954 486309    E: nigelk@headwayb2b.co.uk   W: www.headwayb2b.co.uk

Free guide 'Focus on what matters for success'                     

Bank of England inflation report

Engineering Education Scheme is a sure fire winner

For the last two decades, the Engineering Education Scheme (EES) has reliably delivered positive outcomes to companies and students alike.

EES is just one of the schemes provided by EDT, an independent registered charity supported by leading organisations such as The Royal Academy for Engineering, Engineering & Physical Science Research Council, British Science Association, GKN and Selex Galileo to name but a few.

How does the EES work?

A team of 4 talented 6th formers (Yr 12) with their teachers from a school/college near to you will work with your engineer(s) as mentors for 6 months on a project chosen by your company.
There is a formal scheme launch in October involving seminars and activities including team work, problem solving and project management.
In December the teams attend a 3 or 4 day University based residential workshop to develop their project with the assistance of university personnel and resources.
The scheme culminates in a high profile Celebration & Assessment day in April or May, when the projects are assessed by teams of eminent professional engineers.

The benefits

Students get an in-depth, real world work related experience of science, engineering and technology to help them make an informed decision about their future studies and career.

Company benefits include:

1. Cost effective project solutions (many EES teams have saved companies tens and even hundreds of thousands of pounds).
2. High quality professional development of your young engineers.
3. Connection with your local community of high calibre future employees for science and technology.
4. Improved staff retention through employing local graduates.

Over 95% of participating engineers consistently consider EES relevant to their company's needs.

Would you like to know more?

Contact HeadwayB2B as Regional Co-ordinator for the EES

More information on EES

Engineering Development Trust

EDT operates a number of schemes in addition to the EES, currently starting with schemes for 11 year-olds to encourage early participation in engineering & science, through to enabling proper work-based academic engagement from age 16 onward.

More about EDT

Output up, margins squeezed - what next?

The CBI report that growth in UK manufacturing by SMEs is at it's strongest for over 16 years, yet margins are being eroded by increased production costs, oil & commodity prices.

Headcount is increasing to meet demand, yet capacity is cited as a potential constraint on output going forward.

Skill shortages are a problem.

Does this strike a chord with you?

With these daily pressures, how do you find the time to make sure you are doing everything to attract more customers?

With a proven track record in helping business owner/operators have confidence knowing their organisation is doing everything to attract more customers that they want, more effectively and efficiently.

Maybe we can help you?

It will cost no more than a little time together to find out.

Call Nigel on 07954 486309, or email nigelk@headwayb2b.co.uk

Read the full CBI article More about HeadwayB2B

Mentor of the Year Award

I am proud to have been voted Employer Mentor of the Year by the University of Derby. This a voluntary scheme to help students make a successful transition from study to the world of work.

I greatly appreciate this award as testament to my skills and complementary to my business development consultancy, working alongside business owner operators to help them have the confidence in moving their business forward with a co-ordinated and integrated customer focussed approach.

Thanks to all at the University of Derby, Bill Cort of Business on Toast, who introduced me to the scheme and of course, my mentee for the period, Florence Osoka.

Other voluntary activities

Leadership & Management funding is available

New funding up to the value of £1,000 is now available via the Skills Funding Agency for development of leadership and management skills.

To be eligible your business must be in the East or West Midlands, or East of England, employ between 5 and 250 and have potential for fast or high growth.

Funding is provided on a pound for pound matched basis and covers a wide range of development activities including personal style, enterprise culture, effective teams and organisation plus leading and managing employee performance.

Information of the relevant services to help you from HeadwayB2B

The application process is straight forward via EMBLtd

Manufacturing output & jobs holding up

The Bank of England April report shows manufacturing output, particularly exports, to be holding up. Employment too is steady, though new recruits often taken on temporary contracts, but with some signs of these then converting to permanent.

Encouragingly, firms are taking more interest in apprenticeships.

Read the full report

More on apprenticeships

More on the Education Engineering Scheme

More about HeadwayB2B Ltd

What is the real cost of poor customer data?

The impact of poor customer data on business performance is so often unseen and hard to measure, though the effects can be very costly and damaging.

Here are just a few risks to your bottom line that can be avoided by paying attention to accurate data management:

• You risk exposing your poor quality to your customers (how bad is a wrong or mis-spelt name?).
• You waste unseen money, time and resources working with inaccurate information.
• Related activities, which may be outsourced are less effective (Telemarketing, E-mail marketing, direct mail campaigns etc).

Here's a recent example to highlight the issue:

Analysing results by data source following a recent Telemarketing campaign revealed ways in which the client can improve business processes and people skills. Data was provided from 3 sources:

1. Their internal CRM system (35% of total records)
2. A market related database (45% of total records)
3. From a trade association for the target customer group (20% of total records)

Analysis of the results for each:
1. The internal data was the least accurate, containing most 'dead' accounts and contacts plus mis-spellings of company and contact names.
2. The market related data was most general, resulting in the highest 'Not Interested' count.
3. The trade association data was most accurate, provided the highest % of 'Sales Visit' requests with no 'Unable to Contact'.

What can be learnt from these results?
1. Well maintained, accurately targeted data provides for best results.
2. Care needs to be taken over input of internal data - training and reminders to all users is of benefit.
3. Data quality needs to be well maintained over the life cycle of your customer.

For help with your data management processes or any other business development project, please contact Nigel on 01455 292157.

Headway B2B Ltd

Engineering Education Scheme

I am delighted that I have been selected as the Co-ordinator of the Engineering Education Scheme (EES) for the East Midlands.

This scheme is completely in line with my passion to bring more students into an Engineering career, at whatever level.

Complementary to my STEM Ambassador role, which involves me with students from Year 7 upward, the EES scheme provides students in Year 12 (Lower 6th in my day), who have an interest in going on to an engineering career, to link with a local business who sponsor and mentor a work based improvement project of their choice over the academic year. I am responsible for securing sponsors and co-ordinating these links.

For more information click the EES badge above

How can you help?

If you think you can offer help as a sponsor company, to strengthen the engineering skill base in the East Midlands, please call or mail me.

Thank you

Nigel Knapp T: 07954 486309 E: nigelk@headwayb2b.co.uk