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Proskills Schools-into-Industry Programmes are designed to help students develop their practical skills and gain experience of industry. Programmes like PrintIT! and MakeIT! Furniture play a crucial role in attracting talented new entrants to industry, writes Jo Chapman, programme manager at Proskills
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Over the past six years 120,000 students have participated in Proskills' Schools-into-Industry Programmes (SIIP's), gaining experience of industry and developing important practical skills in the process. The SIIP's, which include PrintIT!, MakeIT! Furniture and MakeIT! Glass, are designed to engage students in the major challenges facing industry and encourage them to consider a career in the process and manufacturing sector.
Students have registered in great numbers for the various SIIP's for 2011/12, building on the success of recent years. A recent survey by Proskills found that students significantly increased their knowledge of the furniture industry by participating in the MakeIT! Furniture programme in 2010/11, and that over a third would now consider it as a career option, illustrating the wider impact of the SIIP's.
While these findings paint a positive picture, Proskills remains keen to improve the SIIP's further and has consulting with teachers and students to ensure they both engage students and help them develop industry-relevant skills. The programmes will change slightly in 2011/12 to reflect the feedback that's been received, with the PrintIT! course in particular expanded to focus more on making a prototype of a point of sale display, or of packaging to promote Fairtrade products.
This provides excellent practice for controlled assessment 'design and make' tasks and covers much of the understanding required for the written design and technology paper.
This work is crucial to the long-term future of the process and manufacturing sector, which needs to attract talented new entrants and adapt to emerging trends if it is to build a sustainable future. If you would like to contribute to the future development of the process and manufacturing sector, and to help ensure that education supports the skills needs of industry, then please get in touch via the contact details provided below.
For further information on PrintIT! contact Proskills on 01235 833844.
About Proskills:
Proskills UK is the bridge between employers and Government on skills and training. Employer-led by nine key industries, Building Products, Coatings, Extractives, Furniture, Glass, Glazed Ceramics, Paper, Print and Wood industries which make a third of the UK manufacturing sector. Proskills UK helps to raise the profile and sets the skills standards and qualifications for the sector and ensures that the skills and funding delivers against the current and future needs of the industries.
One of a network of employer-led SSC's across the UK, Proskills is a not-for-profit organisation, whose role is to raise the skills levels and competitiveness in the 80,000 workplaces and 800,000 employees that make up the sector. This is achieved through researching business skills needs, delivering occupational standards and qualifications, matching skills demand to supply, and securing funding to meet business skills priorities.
About Proskills Schools-into-Industry Programmes
Proskills Schools-into-Industry Programmes are designed to help students develop their practical skills and give them experience of industry. The programmes introduce students to the major challenges facing the print and paper, furniture, ceramics, wood, glass and extractives and minerals processing industries.
The programmes aim to promote the many varied and stimulating career paths available within the process and manufacturing sector. The programmes are designed to complement the curriculum and are directly relevant to several GCSE and A-Level courses.
Contact Information
Patrick Truss
Proskills UK
85b Centurion Court
Abingdon
OX14 4RY
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