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FACTS
1998 - Manufacturing decline
accelerates
Output in manufacturing in the three months to October fell by 0.7%
compared to the previous three months according to the Office for
National Statistics.
Over the period, the majority of manufacturing industries saw
production fall, with metal products, printing and textiles and
clothing all hard hit.
An economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland said: "The figures show
us how bad things are for manufacturers and to sum up - they are
awful."
Source - BBC News Monday, December 7, 1998 Published at 11:01 GMT
2005 - A surprise decline in state of the manufacturing sector
in July has cemented expectations that the Bank of England's
Monetary Policy Committee will choose to lower interest rates when
it meets on Thursday.
The survey also showed that output prices fell at their fastest rate
for two years, highlighting the difficulty that manufacturers are
having in passing on their higher input costs amid intense
competition and subdued demand.
Employment in the sector also declined for the fourth month in a
row.
Source Timesonline August 01, 2005
So whats new?
Unemployment soars to six year high ! UK jobless total hits 1.61
million !
There were 3.05 million manufacturing employee jobs in the three
months to May 2006, a fall of 112,000 (3.5%) compared with the same
period a year earlier. This is the lowest level since comparable
records began in 1978.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show
manufacturing continuing to suffer, with the number of jobs in the
sector down by 116,000 during the quarter compared with the same
time last year.
There were 1.65 million people classed as unemployed in the three
months
to May, an increase of 90,000 on the previous quarter, the ONS said.
The unemployment rate was 5.4% for the three months ending May
2006. This is up 0.3 percentage points on the previous three months
and up 0.7 percentage points on the year.
Source
www.in2perspective.com
Government seeks to expand and revitalise modern apprenticeships
In 2002, the Labour Party government was in the process of
implementing the main recommendations of the report of the Modern
Apprenticeship Advisory Committee (MAAC) published in September
2001. The report, entitled Modern apprenticeships: the way to work,
outlines plans for the revitalisation of the apprenticeship system
in England and has been welcomed by ministers and social partner
organisations.
In line with the report's recommendations, prime responsibility
for the development, promotion and delivery of
'modern apprenticeships'
(MA) in England has been assigned by the Department for Education
and Skills (DfES) to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
(UK0110111F).
The LSC has set up a Modern Apprenticeship Implementation Group (MAIG)
to ensure coordinated implementation of the MA reforms and to carry
forward an implementation plan. The secretary of state for education
and skills, Estelle Morris, jointly with the LSC, has also
established a Modern Apprenticeship Advisory Board (MAAB) which will
offer guidance to ministers.
The article goes on to report the findings and recommendations of
the MAAC with an end commentary.
Source
www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int
The UK's energy policy must support UK manufacturing
11 July 2006 Amicus the union is urging the Government to ensure
that the UK's future energy policy will support a British
manufacturing capability and that any future energy policy should be
underpinned by investments in training and development to foster a
homegrown skills base.
New Amicus drive to save the UK car industry
Amicus has launched a campaign to stop the export of jobs from the
UK car industry. Following the closure of Rover last year and the
job cuts announced in Peugeot and Vauxhall the union is demanding
action from the government to stem the tide of job losses.
Source
www.amicustheunion.org
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